


The Diva

by Malvapulce



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Drinking, Equestrian, Gay Sex, Horses, Humor, M/M, Rating May Change, Romance, Yaoi, equestrian AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-06-18
Packaged: 2018-05-20 20:46:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 49,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6024259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malvapulce/pseuds/Malvapulce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Never in his life had Oikawa Tooru imagined owning a horse. The only thing he knew about horses is that they are big, smelly, and mostly brown. But when he somehow ends up owning one, he needs to start learning quickly. Helping him on his journey there are a stubborn and ill-tempered but oh-so-very-handsome horse trainer and a stable full of other eccentric equestrians.</p><p>This is a story about two men and a horse that brought them together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Inheritance

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I'm writing a fic in English to begin with (my other fics I've first written in Finnish and then translated), so I'm half excited and half terrified of the outcome. I'm using a beta, but if there are mistakes in the text, you can just blame them on me. :3 Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!
> 
> This story is purely fictional. I’m basing the handling and caring of horses off of my experiences, but I might take some artistic licences, so no one should use this story as an instruction of how to take care of a horse or as a portrayal of how equestrians treat or train their animals. Please keep in mind that while I know the equine slang in Finnish and I try to be accurate, I can't guarantee that I won't make mistakes in English. So if there are any equestrians reading this fic, feel free to point out any mistakes in the terms used.
> 
> BUT! You definitely don't have to be a horse expert to read this fic. Oikawa is an amateur here and things are told from his point of view so you can just hop on board and learn with him. :D
> 
> This is mainly Iwaoi fic but there will be mentions of Bokuaka and other ships.
> 
> Many thanks to Yvette for accepting the betaing job!

Never in his life had Oikawa Tooru imagined owning a horse. He had never imagined owning _any_ animal. Animals were expensive and arduous. They smelled, made a mess, destroyed furniture, and confined their owner's freedom. If someone had asked Oikawa what kind of a pet he'd like to own, he would have answered 'a robot cat'. You know, those that didn't die even if you never fed them and forgot them in a closet for half a year.

He was perfectly content with his life without any four-legged companions. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for him.

He had never even heard of this Great Uncle Sato. Stupid great uncle. Why would you just up and die and leave your belongings to relatives you had never met?

Oikawa learned that he and Great Uncle Sato had, in fact, met twice when he had been two years old. Big difference. Everyone knew that people couldn't remember stuff before their second year of living and everyone who had recollections from times when they had still been shitting in a diaper lied or told stories they had heard from their parents. He was surprised that Great Uncle Sato had even remembered him. Or maybe he hadn't, having simply seen him on TV or in magazines.

Two or three minutes later he found out that Uncle Sato had entrusted his possessions to only his relatives, and it was now up to them to determine how to distribute them. Sort of; there were conditions. He also learned that Great Uncle Sato had been a person someone might call stingy. With relatively big assets, he had lived in an old and deteriorated house with an unkempt garden and owned an even older Toyota Corolla and a couple of trailers. And a horse.

The notary explained to Oikawa and his family that Uncle Sato had been a passionate horseman, but after turning 70 and finding out about his illness, he had reduced the amount of horses to only one. His money mostly originated from equine competitions.

His last will stated that his last horse was to be passed on to someone who either possessed good horsemanship skills or could provide for the animal. No one in Oikawa's family – let alone the members present at the table – had ever taken care of a horse. None of them were exactly rich, but as they began measuring their possessions, Oikawa drew the short straw. He had a decently paid job, a fine apartment in the centre, and a fairly expensive car. He had worked hard for all of it, whereas his relatives flushed all the money they earned down the toilet like a bunch of irresponsible morons they were. The sole exceptions to this rule were his mom and dad, who still worked their asses off every day in their modest little shop, and his sister, who had been taking care of her son all by herself ever since her irresponsible boyfriend had fled to the hills. Still, that couldn't mean that _he_ would have to take the horse on. That would be the most unfair thing on Earth. He didn't want his hard-earned money to go down a horse's throat.

"Why can't the horse just be sold or put down?" Oikawa asked the notary. Horses were at their best as basashi. They also made good salami, or so he had heard. He didn't eat salami – too much sodium and fat. But the horse could become useful to society by feeding some hungry people.

"Sato-san has stated that the horse shall not be sold or put down before a full year has passed since the transition of the ownership. This naturally excludes cases where the horse's health requires irreversible actions."

Oikawa huffed, gradually getting annoyed. The last will was very thorough and precise, written by the help of a lawyer, so there were no loopholes of any kind. Only in the case that the horse got very ill could they point a gun to its head. Great Uncle Sato had been one sneaky bastard. But maybe the horse's early death could be expedited somehow. Horses were fragile, that much he knew. They practically broke their bones while standing in a stall. Or they could get bad stomach problems from just eating too much.

Okay, so he wasn't being serious. He wished the horse all the best. He just wanted it as far away from himself as possible.

"Was Uncle Sato mad or something?" Oikawa asked, turning to his mom. "Why would you want to hand over your precious animal to someone who doesn't have a clue as to how to take care of it? I mean, _I_ wouldn't do it."

Mom shrugged. "He was a bit eccentric, from what I remember."

"But..." the notary continued. "...taking the horse means you will get compensation."

Oikawa leaned forward, the tiniest bit more interested. "So if I took the horse, I'd get money to cover the expenses?"

The notary nodded. "Basically."

He still wasn't very thrilled with the idea. A horse required a lot of work. A lot of work and a lot of money. He was pretty sure he had heard some poor horse owner say: 'Previously I had money and time, now I have a horse.'

"You don't have to take the horse, Tooru," mom said. "We'll think of something."

"It's not like I have a choice. Everyone here knows my salary is the highest," he said with a bit of pride. But hell, he deserved it. Hour after hour of diligent work, not to mention sucking up to the right people – a feat he wasn't very proud of – had helped him climb the stairs to the top slowly and steadily.

"You can decline the inheritance altogether."

That was true. He could. But then again... "How much would the compensation be?"

The notary wrote a number down on a paper and pushed it over the table for him to see. Huh, wow. Shit. Now _that_ would immensely help in shortening his apartment loan. He’d have enough money to support his parents with the shop so they could hire some help and go on vacation (that would be the first time in ten years) and Hiyori could fix her kitchen floors; she had talked about it for ages. Maybe some of the money would still be in his pocket even after the year was over. Like, how much could one horse eat?

"That's basically all the money Sato-san's won from horse races," the notary explained.

"Yet he still decided to live in a hole." Oikawa found it really difficult to understand the man. If he had learned that he only had half a year or so to live, he wouldn't have let his money rot in the bank. He rested his chin in his hand, processing all the information. "Okay, now I have to really consider this."

"Tooru-kun, you don't even know anything about horses," Hiyori pointed out.

"So? I can learn. And it's not like I would groom and ride it myself. Of course I'm going to find a stable that takes care of it."

"Keeping a horse is a lot of work," mom remarked.

"Why does the person who takes on the horse need to have a good income if they're going to get that much compensation anyway?" Oikawa asked the notary, ignoring his family's reasoning.

"Sato-san probably wanted to make sure that the new owner knows how to handle money too, since they'll be needing it."

That made some sense. Oikawa still felt like there was a catch here somewhere, but the notary really didn't have a reason to lie to them. Everything seemed pretty straightforward. Take the horse and get the money. Decline the horse and say goodbye to the cash.

"I will accept the horse if Oikawa-kun refuses," said Uncle Hiroshi. Typical. The man had always been a gold digger.

"I'm not refusing!" Oikawa objected.

"But you're hesitating."

"I'm just weighing my options." Not that there were many. He was still quite stunned to even have ended up in such situation. Just this morning he had been at work, negotiating with his latest client, discussing their desired choice of clothing for an event to come and presenting their selection. Now he was sitting in a notary office across the town, hearing about a presumably nuts great uncle and a horse that might soon be his headache. Clothes, those he could handle. Horses, not so much. Even though he had to admit that professional equestrians looked very nice in their attire. That was probably just for pictures, though. In reality the outfits would soon get stained with mud and horse drool, hair, and poo.

"After one year I could sell the horse?" he checked once more.

"Yes."

"Tooru, you're not seriously considering..?" mom began.

"Tooru-kun, you really don't have to..." Hiyori seconded.

Oh yes, he didn't have to. But things became strangely appealing once they were no longer obligated to take the offer.

Not that he wanted the horse. No, it was strictly about the money.

And that was when he made the biggest decision of his life. He just didn't know it then.

"I accept," he heard himself say. "I'll take the damn horse and what comes along with it."

The notary looked so indifferent that he had to remind himself that they weren't in the middle of a big business negotiation. The man was here just to pass on Great Uncle Sato's last will and make them sign the papers. Then he'd move on to another case. What they actually inherited or did with their new possession wasn't his concern.

"Sign here then," the man said, passing another paper over the table.

Oikawa grabbed his pen, hesitating at the last second. Was he really going to do this? He was supposed to be back at work this afternoon, was supposed to meet his client and get some work done. He needed his head to be in the right place. He couldn't be immersed in thinking about any inheritances or horses that came with them.

"What happens if I sell the horse before a year has passed?" he asked.

"You'll lose the rest of the inheritance."

Fair enough. But how would they be able to tell if he sold the damn animal before? Were they going to hire a spy to follow him around or something?

"You will get half of the money now and the second half once the year has passed," the notary explained, probably reading his mind.

Oh well then... Oikawa took a better hold of the pen and scribbled his name on the bottom of the document. A voice was screaming in the back corner of his mind, calling him a lunatic and questioning his every life choice, but he bluntly ignored it. Sometimes you just had to... take a leap.

"There," he said, tapping the tip of his pen on the paper before handing it back to the notary. There was a dead silence hovering over the table as his closest family members processed what he had just done and his father's greedy brother mentally cursed his nephew to the abyss. But what was done, was done, and for now Oikawa was just glad that the whole thing was over. He was already yearning to get back to the office. Maybe get a big latte on his way there, from that nice little coffee shop that was just around the corner from his workplace. Definitely not think about any horses. Or the money.

...maybe he could think about the money a little.

"That's settled then," he said, getting to his feet and straightening his Gucci jacket. "I'm going to head back to the office. I assume we'll be in contact about the details of my inheritance, Kimura-san."

The notary nodded. "I'll be in touch soon."

And that's how Oikawa Tooru became a horse owner.

* * *

A few days later Oikawa received the details from Kimura-san. After printing all the documents, he realized that he had to start making some arrangements, since the horse – his horse – was still living up north in a stable where Uncle Sato had left it. The first thing Oikawa was going to do was to find a stable near his home and figure out how to transport the horse there.

Sure, he could have let it stay where it was and just watch the money transfer back and forth, but he wanted the animal near him. Somewhere where he could supervise its wellbeing and make sure that the damn thing wouldn't break its legs or eat itself to an early grave before the end of the one year deadline. Hell, if he had to have a horse, he'd make sure the horse would get the best care in the country! He wouldn't give anybody any reason to say that Oikawa Tooru's horse was shaggy or neglected. So during the morning he passed the word around the office, asking if any of his co-workers happened to be equestrians. No longer than a few hours passed before a new trainee – what the hell was her name again… Hiroka? Whatever – came knocking at his door. 

"Um, excuse me, Oikawa-san," she began, bowing deeply. She was a bower, that he remembered. "I heard that you were looking for a person who might know something about horses." Her voice was timid and trembling just a little.

Oikawa lowered his phone onto his desk and motioned the girl to come in. He didn't offer her a seat and she didn't seem to be longing for it either, content standing in the middle of his office and keeping a few meters distance. "That's right," he said. "Or more accurately, I'm looking for a suitable stable for a horse."

"Oh, I see. May I ask if you have a horse then?"

"No, I want to move in myself. Of course I have a horse." _Why the hell would I be asking around otherwise?_ His very light yet sarcastic remark visually frightened the girl, so he continued with a friendlier tone. "I just recently became a horse owner and I need to find some place to house it. Can't exactly bring it back to my apartment now, can I?"

"No, Oikawa-san, of course not. Um, so..."

"You know a proper stable? Because I won't accept any ratty barn."

"I know a training stable just outside of the town. A friend of mine works there as a caretaker."

"And it's upscale?" The girl chewed on her cheek nervously. "The stable itself is quite new and the horses are well taken care of. They mainly train show jumpers and dressage horses."

"What are those?" _I dare you to ask why I have gotten myself a horse if I know nothing about them. I dare you._

She looked a little taken aback but didn't question his motives. "Um, horses that jump fences and do dressage. That's like, very fine riding." 

Fine riding sounded good. Like fine dining, but with horses. Maybe the owner was the Gordon Ramsay of the equine world.

The girl continued. "The workers there are professionals and compete on an international level. It's kind of expensive to keep your horse there, though, and I don't know if they have free stalls at the moment..."

Oikawa had no idea if his horse could jump fences or do dressage or whatever the hell it was, but it had four legs and it was categorized as a horse so why not?

"The money is not a problem. That place sounds pretty good... eh, Hiroka-chan?"

She bowed again, a faint pink dusting her cheeks. "Hitoka, sir."

Whatever. "Hitoka-chan. Can you tell me how to contact the owner?"

"I can ask my friend for the owner's number. Or you can find it online too, I think. The stable has a homepage."

Oikawa tapped his fingers against the desk. "But wouldn't it be easier to get a place there if it was a friend who was asking?"

"Maybe?" the girl offered. "I can ask him, Oikawa-san."

"Please do."

"Um, well then... I'll let you know what he says."

"Sure thing. Thank you, Hitoka-chan."

"It's no problem, Oikawa-san." 

"You can go now, Hitoka-chan. I have a client coming in five."

"Yes, sir." She backed out of his office while bowing repeatedly and closed the door. Oikawa hummed to himself before opening Chrome and googling 'dressage'.

* * *

Hitoka-chan came back the next day with a phone number. She explained that the owner himself wasn't in charge of the occupants of the stable and that Oikawa should call the head stableman instead. She couldn't tell if there were available stalls in the stable at the moment, even her friend couldn't because the stable had a big turnover rate, but Oikawa could find out himself by calling the man.

The place was simply called Fukurodani Riding Club, which sounded a bit like a high school sports club, but who was Oikawa to judge? It was not like he knew any other riding stables; maybe there was a pattern in naming them. After dialling the number, he was met with a quick, “Fukurodani Riding Club, Akaashi speaking”. The man’s breathing was laboured, as though he had run to the phone. Oikawa would have appreciated a more polite greeting, such as 'How may I help you?' or something, but the man sounded like he hadn't majored in customer service.

"Hello. I'm Oikawa Tooru from Aoba Johsai Personal Stylist Services." He waited for the guy to acknowledge him in some way or form, but he only heard more breathing. "I got your number from one of my co-workers who knows one of _your_ workers." He checked the note Hitoka-chan had given him. "Hinata Shouyou?"

"Yes, Hinata works with us. May I ask what this is about?" The man sounded guarded, as though he were dreading what troubles this Hinata person might have caused.

"You have a stable, right?" Oikawa checked. "You have a stable... with horses?"

"We run a training stable, yes."

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear! The thing is, Akaashi-san, that I only recently became a horse owner myself and I'm looking for a place to keep it in."

"You're looking for a stable stall for your horse?"

"Yes, that's right. At the moment the horse is not even in the region. I need to have it transported from the north but it would be quite useful to have a stable place ready for when it arrives." Another long, breathy silence. "So I was wondering if you have any free stalls in your stable."

"We have a few spare stalls at the moment, yes. What kind of horse do you have and what kind of boarding would you like it to have?"

Yes! Now they were getting somewhere!

"I need it to have a full coverage. You know, feeding, exercising, grooming... You can provide that, right?"

It was as if the man had somehow already figured out that Oikawa didn't know two things about horses. When he spoke again, his voice had adapted a cautious tone. "You'd like a full boarding for your horse?"

"Yes, yes, that's what I mean, full boarding!"

There was a knock on the door. Oikawa excused himself for a second and lowered his phone to shout, "Yeah, what is it? I'm on the phone!" He wasn't too careful with his tone. He didn't expect any clients today so it couldn't be anyone too important.

The door opened to reveal Mizoguchi standing behind it. Shit. "Oikawa, we have a surprise customer. A famous actress. I want you to take her on."

The man sounded slightly pissed at his attitude. Oh well, it wasn't the first time. Oikawa flashed his best fake charming smile at the guy. "Sure thing, Mizoguchi-san, I can do that. I'll just finish this phone call first."

"She's waiting in the lobby. Hitoka is offering her champagne, but she can't wait forever." 

Fucking slave driver. He didn't even know who Oikawa was talking to on the phone. It could have been an important customer. "I'll be there to meet her in ten minutes, okay?"

Mizoguchi nodded. "Ten minutes." And then he closed the door. The fucker probably took note of the time and began counting minutes, so Oikawa really needed to make it quick.

"Sorry, that was my boss," he said to the phone. "Or sort of my boss. Anyway, where were we?"

"You said you wanted a full boarding for your horse. I asked what kind of horse you have."

"It's... brown and kind of big..." That was a safe choice, right? Many horses were brown and big.

"No, I meant how old and what gender your horse is, and the level of training. Can you at least tell me if your horse is a warmblood or a coldblood?"

Oikawa felt his brows furrow. What sort of question was that? Weren't all horses mammals and therefore warm-blooded? He had never heard of a cold-blooded horse before. Was Akaashi kidding with him? He didn't sound like a person who'd joke around with random people on the phone. No, this had to be some weird equestrian shit again.

"Warmblood," he said, hoping that really was the case. 

"Oikawa-san, I assume you're not an equestrian yourself, are you?"

"No, I'm not." No reason denying it now, especially considering he was in a hurry. "I became a horse owner accidentally and I'm very new to this, so I'd really appreciate your help, Akaashi-san."

"Your horse needs full boarding. That we can cover, but it's rather expensive compared to partial boarding."

"Money is not a problem."

He heard some shuffling so maybe Akaashi was taking notes. "Alright then. Who will be riding your horse?"

"I don't know. You?" he suggested.

There was a sigh on the line. "It doesn't really work that way. Sure, we can give your horse some daily exercise but if you wish to train him... her?"

Oikawa checked the information he had received from the notary. Mare. That meant female, right? 

"Her." He did a quick online search, because if 'mare' turned out to be a boy, how the hell would he explain that his horse had suddenly grown a pair? If the gender even mattered in the equine world. He had no idea. Google results soothed him by telling he had been right with his assumption and he let the air out of his lungs.

Meanwhile, Akaashi-san was trying to make his life more difficult. "If you wish to train her, she needs a regular rider. Someone who wants to give their time and effort to make the best out of her."

"Why can't someone from your stable do it?"

"Because all of our workers are quite busy with their set horses," Akaashi said. But there was a slight hesitance in his voice, Oikawa could tell. Just the tiniest drop in the persistence. 

"Why would they refuse free riding?" he asked. Wasn't horseback riding a really expensive hobby? Weren't there tons of poor horse enthusiasts who would give their right leg to get on the saddle?

"Because they have their hands full with our own occupants."

Damn, why was it so hard to talk with this man? Usually Oikawa wasn't the one to lose his smooth tongue, but talking to this guy was like talking to a rapidly melting snowman with a polite exterior and a bad attitude, if that made any sense. "Look, Akaashi-san. I know as much about horses as you probably do about haute couture." Akaashi said nothing to that, so he continued. "I've never even patted a horse in my life. But I happen to own one now and I want to give it proper care. And that means I need a _rider_ for it."

"I'm sure you'll find someone who wants to ride her _and_ pay you for it," Akaashi said.

"I don't want some irresponsible teenage girl pawing at my horse." His possessiveness surprised him. He hadn't even seen his horse yet! Still, it was his property now and he liked his things in perfect condition.

"In my experience, when it comes to horses, teenage girls are quite capable and responsible."

"That's beside the point," Oikawa huffed, trying a different tactic. "Okay, let's say I find someone to ride her. Would she be allowed to live in the stable and receive training if that were the case?"

"That depends. Is she a jumper or a dressage horse?" 

"I have no idea."

He could basically see Akaashi wiping his face with frustration. His breathing was again audible on the line.

"I'd pay you for training her, of course," he added, his voice peeking up.

"Oikawa-san, did you know that there are riding schools that would give you full boarding under the condition that your horse participates in riding lessons? She would get regular exercise and care at a much cheaper rate."

"But she used to compete on a national level," Oikawa interjected. "She could compete again if she were trained and in good shape. I heard your stable and staff are very capable." _Come on, you nit-picker, just accept my money._ Maybe he should try telepathically sending over some good thoughts to persuade Akaashi. The clock was ticking. He hadn't checked it when Mizoguchi had popped in to taint the nice interior of his office, but he was sure ten minutes had almost passed. "If you have free stalls, couldn't you at least consider it?"

"Alright, tell you what, Oikawa-san. I'm going to talk with my trainers and see if anyone wants to take your horse on board. I'll get back to you later."

"When would that be?" Oikawa wanted to be sure that Akaashi-san wasn't just trying to escape the situation.

"I'll get back to you as soon as possible," Akaashi merely said, promptly ending the discussion. "In the meantime, I’d like for you to find out your horse’s training level and if she shows any potential for jumping or dressage."

"Okay, I'll do that. Thank you, Akaashi-san."

He only got a subdued 'hmph' as a response.


	2. The Stable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm amazed by the positive response the first chapter got. Thank you everyone who left a comment or kudos! I'm having so much fun with this fic, so I hope you'll enjoy this second chapter too.
> 
> Thanks to Yvette for quick betaing again! :)

Oikawa didn't hear from Akaashi for a couple of days, but he kept his part of the deal and gathered information about his new possession. Even if Akaashi ended up turning down his offer and he needed to start looking for a new stable, it would be good to be prepared. He had only gotten the horse’s basic information, date of birth, gender and so on from the notary. That hadn't been enough for Akaashi during their first phone call, so while he waited for the official papers to arrive by snail mail, he contacted the stable where his horse was housed at the moment and asked them to provide him with as much information as possible.

Late in the afternoon when he was already planning to call it a day and head home, he received a long email and couldn't resist opening it right away. He spent the next minutes peering at the text and trying to figure out if he was reading Japanese or some sort of message from outer space – which would have been awesome on any other occasion. Really, it was like some sort of medical slang. What he understood was that the horse had indeed been racing on a national level, but had gotten injured a year ago and had been recovering ever since. That meant that she was really out of shape, but her current groom assured that the injury (a bone bruise, they called it) had healed completely. Then there was some blabbing about her diet, habits, character and other stuff which might help the person who would be grooming her in the future. For Oikawa it was pretty much useless. Honestly, he couldn't even tell which part of the mail was actually important and which was not.

Damn, he needed Hitoka-chan to translate it to him. Was she still at work? He would have to go and look for her.

There were also two pictures attached. Brightening a little, Oikawa clicked them open and a wave of relief washed through him. Oh, thank god, the horse was brown! The night after the phone call with Akaashi he had been lying awake in his bed and worrying what to do if the horse turned out to be white or black. He had almost seen himself painting the damn animal brown just to cover his ass. Akaashi probably thought he was an imbecile, and Oikawa didn't like to be seen as an imbecile.

The horse in the pictures was reddish brown with black mane, tail and legs. She had a white, thin mark on her forehead (Oikawa assumed it was her forehead; he had no idea how horses' anatomy worked). She looked like a plain, everyday horse, nothing fancy. He had to admit that he was a little disappointed. He had hoped that the horse would be one of those majestic, shiny steeds that starred in commercials and posters. Something that made people go 'ooh' to which he would step in and announce that it was _his_ horse they were admiring.

He printed the pictures anyway and got up to go and search for Hitoka-chan. That was when his phone rang. Checking the screen, he noticed that it was flashing a foreign number. A number that belonged to a landline telephone. Fukurodani Riding Club had had a landline number, he remembered. Getting excited, he grabbed his phone. "Aoba Johsai Personal Styling Services, this is Oikawa Tooru speaking. How may I help?"

"Hello, Oikawa-san. It's Akaashi from Fukurodani Riding Club. We spoke the other day."

He sat back down. "Oh yes, hello again, Akaashi-san! How are things going?"

"Good. So what we talked about last time..."

Straight to the point. Well, Oikawa didn't mind that. "Yes?"

"I had a chat with my trainers, and one of them might be willing to train your horse."

 _Might?_ "I'm glad to hear that, Akaashi-san. So..."

Akaashi cut him off. "Have you found someone to ride her?"

"Not yet, unfortunately." He hadn't been searching much either. "How about your trainer? He doesn't want to ride her?" What else training consisted of if not riding?

"He won't be able to ride her enough to get her back into competing shape, I'm afraid."

"But he would ride her... a little bit?"

"Yeah, a couple of times a week."

That apparently wasn't enough exercise for a horse.

Akaashi went on. "You really need to find a rider for her if you're not going to do it yourself. Sorry for being blunt, but I got the impression that you're an amateur."

"I've never been on a horse in my life," Oikawa admitted. Why did he feel embarrassed saying it? Why did it sound like he was a 30-year-old virgin or something?

Hmm, did Hitoka-chan perhaps know how to ride?

"I'll find someone," he promised. "So does this mean that I can bring her to your stable?"

Akaashi dodged his question. "Did you find out if she's been competing in jumping or dressage?"

Damn, he should have asked Hitoka-chan to check the email before talking with Akaashi. "Not yet. I'm sorry, it's been surprisingly hard to get in contact with the current stable she's housed in. However, I learned that she had an injury a year ago and she has made a full recovery."

He could hear Akaashi tensing up from the rhythm of his breathing. "Injury? What kind of an injury?"

"She had a bone bruise."

"Only bruise? No breakage?"

"They used the word bruise."

"She hasn't ruptured any ligaments? No suspensory injury?"

"No, they didn't say anything about that."

Akaashi breathed out. "Well then. She's been on sick leave for the past 12 months, you said?"

"Yeah, that's what they told me."

"It will be a lot of work."

_That's what I'll be paying you for._

He didn't say anything, taking a strategic pause, and not too long after he heard Akaashi sigh in defeat. Akaashi was a sigher, he had learned during their short acquaintance. In his head he pictured a tanned, runty guy who looked old beyond his years. It would be interesting to see what kind of a man he'd meet at the stable. 

"Alright, Oikawa-san, I'll reserve a stall for your horse."

"Ah, thank you so much, Akaashi-san! I'm sure my horse will be a great asset to your... ehm, team of horses!"

Akaashi didn't react to his excitement. "When can we expect her arrival?"

"I haven't made any arrangements yet, because I wasn't sure if I'd get a stall in your stable."

"You didn't ask any other stables?"

"No, I wanted yours."

He had the impression that Akaashi wasn't as flattered with his comment as he should have been.

"You don't wish to visit us to see the facilities before making the decision?"

"No need! I've heard so much good things about you." Meaning, he had visited the stable's homepage and seen pictures. Everything had looked neat and new, the stalls had been spacious and the horses well-groomed.

"We need you to sign the contract, but I suppose you can do it when you bring your horse to us. I can send it to you by email, so you can examine it beforehand."

"Sounds good. Thank you, Akaashi-san." 

"Well then, Oikawa-san. You make your arrangements and let us know when your horse will be arriving. Some information about her training would be useful, if you manage to reach her current trainer or groomer."

"Trying my best," Oikawa said, his tone light and chirpy. His mood had lifted tremendously. He wasn't even dispirited by the fact that first thing tomorrow morning he'd have to meet his most undesirable customer: an idol with an ego the size of Tokyo Tower and the fashion sense of a senile granny.

They exchanged emails and Akaashi promised to send the contract for Oikawa to see as soon as possible. After hanging up, Oikawa got to his feet and went to look for their little trainee girl.

* * *

Akaashi dropped the handset down and left the office. He found Bokuto on the aisle, saddling Eule.

"Hey, hey, Keiji, what's up?"

"I spoke with that weird man from the other day."

Bokuto turned to face him. "Oh, you mean that stylist person?"

"Yeah. He still insists that he wants to bring his horse here."

"And what did you say?"

"I promised that I'm going to reserve him a stall. After all, we do have a couple of them unoccupied and Hajime said he could take the horse on."

"Okay, shouldn't be a problem then." Eule began tossing his head and pawing at the floor and Bokuto placed his hand on the gelding's neck to calm him down.

Akaashi shrugged, scratching his neck absent-mindedly. "I'm just really curious to see if the man actually _has_ a horse or if he's just some lunatic calling different stables and asking for a stall." 

"He might be just rich and a bit nutty."

"I said I'm going to email the contract for him to see."

"When would the horse be arriving if it actually exists?"

"He couldn't say yet, but I suppose we'll learn soon enough whether he's telling the truth or not."

Eule started getting restless again, so Bokuto turned his attention back to the horse. "Yep. I'm gonna go and jump a bit. Wanna come and see?"

Akaashi smiled. "Sure, why not."

* * *

Oikawa found Hitoka-chan in the staff room. She was about to sink her teeth in an onigiri and almost dropped her snack when Oikawa called out from the door. "Hiya, Hitoka-chan!"

"Oikawa-san!" the girl sputtered.

"I'm afraid I need your help. Could you please come to my office when you have finished your lunch?"

"Yes, Oikawa-san! I'm... I'm ready now!" She stuffed half of the onigiri into her mouth and vigorously munched it like a hamster.

"No need to hurry, Hitoka-chan. You should eat slowly. Gobbling your food is bad for your digestion."

She mumbled 'sorry' around all the rice, but did nothing to slow down. Oikawa watched half amused, half suffering as she gulped down the rest of her meal and scrambled to her feet. There was some rice stuck to the corner of his mouth and on her shirt, and Oikawa grimaced inwardly. Hopefully they wouldn't run into any customers.

"Um, so what did you need me for?" Hitoka-chan asked when they were walking back to Oikawa's office. The girl looked a little like he was marching her to her execution.

"I received some information about my horse from the stable where she's housed at the moment and I need someone to translate all that weird equine slang into standard Japanese."

"Oh? I don't know if I'm that good at it... it's been years since the last time I was on a horse."

Damn, that probably meant that Hitoka-chan wouldn't be the person to ride his horse. "But you do know something?"

"A little bit, yes."

"Then take a look and tell me what you understand." _Can't be worse than my own interpretation._

She bowed without slowing down her walk. Quite impressive. "Of course I'm going to help where I can, Oikawa-san!"

This time Oikawa offered her a seat. Not his own nice and plush office chair but a spare stool that he kept in a corner. He opened the email and let her examine it. She took her job seriously, peering hard at the screen and scrunching her brows while reading. Oikawa sat down in his own chair and tapped his pen impatiently while waiting for her to get through the mail.

"I think I get it, for the most part," she said in the end. "What would you like to know?"

"Does it say anything about the level of her training? Does it say if she's warm-blooded? Or the kinds of competitions she has participated in?"

"Yes... it kind of does. Um, Oikawa-san," Hitoka-chan began, her tone suddenly hesitating. "You remember when I said that they train show jumpers and dressage horses in the Fukurodani stables..."

Oikawa could _smell_ little beads of sweat forming on her forehead. What the hell was going on? Was there something wrong with the stable or the staff? Akaashi probably wasn't someone he'd go out to have a drink with, but he had sounded like a sane person.

"...the thing is, your horse is neither."

Oikawa crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you mean?"

"It says here that your horse has competed in harness racing."

"So? What does that mean?"

"And that she's a Russian trotter."

Oikawa wasn't sure what she was implying, but he was already pretty sure he wouldn't like where things were heading.

Hitoka-chan turned to look at him. She was hunching and looked even smaller than usual. "She's a trotter. Not a riding horse."

The office suddenly grew very quiet. Oikawa waited for Hitoka to go on and Hitoka waited for him to answer. When nothing happened for half a minute, Hitoka opened a new tab on the browser, typed in 'harness racing' and gestured him to see for himself.

Oh. _Oh._

Oikawa stared at the images of horses running – _trotting_ – with men sitting on carts behind them. He knew this sport. He'd seen it on TV sometimes and knew that people liked to bet on the horses participating in these races. 

"Is that... a problem?"

"Well, she's an ex-trotter. Her breed is a trotter and trotters don't necessarily make good jumpers or dressage horses. I know they use Standardbreds in riding too, but Russian trotters might be different."

"But she's been ridden, right? That much I understood."

"She's been ridden, but probably not much, and she's had a leg injury. I don't know if she can ever compete in riding competitions. I'm sorry, Oikawa-san."

She sounded like she was pitying him. Oikawa didn't like it. "Why would you be? They said she has recovered. I don't see why I couldn't try to train her." People changed professions, so why horses couldn't too?

"She's already eleven. She has won some money, though, so maybe you could use her as a broodmare. She might have a good pedigree."

Ugh, 'broodmare' didn't sound very nice. "No, I want to stick to my original plan. I already reserved a stall for her in that nice stable and they promised me that somebody would train her."

"But they don't know that she's a trotter, do they?"

Okay, were equestrians some sort of racists or what was this shit? What the hell did it matter if his horse was a trotter?

"No, I didn't know what the hel– what a trotter was so how could I have told them? Do I even need to tell? What if I just take my horse there and let them start training her?"

"They'll see right away what she is. But _sometimes_ trotters can become good jumpers or dressage horses, it's not unheard-of," Hitoka-chan offered, clearly fighting to sound positive. "I'm not sure if Fukurodani is the best place for her, though."

"The head stableman already agreed to let me house her there." He had zero desire to start looking for a new place for his animal. It was a horse so why couldn't it live in the Fukurodani stable? He hadn't lied to Akaashi. He had merely said that he didn't really know much about his horse and that had been the truth. It would have been different matter if he had tried to sneak a cow in.

Hnngh, stupid horse. Stupid Uncle Sato. He was getting a headache. He just wanted to get in his car, pick up some take-out on his way home and wait for the first episode of The X-Files revival.

"Maybe things will turn out just fine then," Hitoka said. "Who knows? She might be a good jumper, a gem just waiting to be discovered!"

Oikawa could hear that she really didn't believe in it, but he kind of appreciated her trying to remain optimistic.

"There are pictures, too," he said, just to switch the topic a little bit. He took the mouse from her and opened the attached images.

Hitoka aww'd at the pictures. "She's pretty."

"Is she? Looks like an ordinary horse to me."

"No, she's very nice. Yeah, she's out of shape and a bit chubby, but, um, I think she has a good build."

Oikawa had a feeling that she was just sugar-coating the whole situation.

* * *

Despite all the setbacks, the day when Oikawa was to bring his horse to the Fukurodani stable eventually dawned. The staff in his horse's current location actually responded to money and the arrangements for transporting the horse to Fukurodani were relatively painless compared to everything else.

Fukurodani was a twenty-five-minute drive away from his home which was even closer than he could have hoped for. He got there half an hour before the estimated arrival of his horse. Maybe he should have visited it beforehand, but he had been quite busy with work and other stuff. Besides, he didn't think it would have been necessary. What would have he even done there without a horse? 

He parked his Lexus in what he assumed to be a parking lot – since there were other cars parked, too – and took a look around. The premises seemed a bit unclear. He couldn't figure out which one of the buildings was the stable; there were no signs whatsoever. He decided on a red big barn-looking installation that had its door open and took a step towards it, his nice shoes immediately collecting a layer of dust on them. Damn, why weren't the paths paved? Next time he should wear his old sneakers or something. On his right he could see green fields and paddocks, some of them bigger than the others. There were a couple of horses there too, eating or just being idle. One of the closer ones lifted its head to look at him, its jaws moving sideways as it munched on grass. Oikawa gave it a tiny wave. It just kept staring.

Just as he was about to enter the building, a man stepped out. Or a boy, Oikawa couldn't say for sure, because the guy couldn't be taller than 160 centimetres and he looked like a high schooler with his smooth features and two-toned hair. He was wearing black riding pants and boots but a plain t-shirt, or that's what it looked like to Oikawa, and judging by the speed he burst out with, half of the stable was on fire.

"Hello there," Oikawa said, drawing the guy's attention to him. "Do you work here? Do you know where I could find Akaashi?"

The guy did a double take on his outfit – his cotton jacket and chinos – and clearly found it unsuitable, but he lifted his gaze quickly. "Yeah, he's inside. Look in the stalls if you can't find him."

Oikawa would have appreciated if the guy had taken him to Akaashi personally, but maybe he really was in a hurry. "Okay, thanks."

The guy glanced at him once more before heading towards the paddocks. Despite the sunny spring day, the stable was rather dark inside, prompting Oikawa to take off his sunglasses and fold them inside his breast pocket. The aisle was empty, but he could see several horse heads on both sides of it, peering at him curiously through the bars of their stalls. He was immediately hit in the face with their smell, but he had to admit – somewhat reluctantly – that it wasn't as bad as he had imagined. Having once been inside a cowshed, the odour was nothing compared to it.

"Excuse me," he called. "I'm looking for Akaashi-san!"

A head with dark, wavy hair appeared in one of the stalls. "That would be me. Are you Oikawa-san?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Hold on, I'll be right with you." And then the head disappeared again. Oikawa wondered what he was doing down there. Cleaning the horse's legs, perhaps?

The man opened the stall door soon enough and stepped into the aisle. He was taller than Oikawa had expected, approximately the same height as him, and had a slim but athletic build. He also looked younger than his voice let on, despite the slightly tired impression that was mostly caused by his heavy-lidded eyes. He closed the stall door and wiped his hand on the back of his trousers before offering it to Oikawa. Urgh, who knew where it had been? The handshake was firm but swift, as if he didn't particularly like to touch people.

"Akaashi Keiji. Nice to meet you in person finally."

"Oikawa Tooru. Likewise. I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"No, I was just going through my daily chores."

"Well then, should we get down to business?"

"Sure. Your horse will be arriving soon, if I remember correctly?"

"Yes, in half an hour."

"We have a stall ready for her. Would you like to see it?" Akaashi was already turning on his heels and heading towards the end of the aisle. Oikawa hastened to follow him. The stable wasn't very big, with maybe ten stalls on both sides. They had sliding doors with bars, metal racks and hooks attached to each of them, as well as name plates and small chalk boards with weird number codes.

"We are going to place her between a wall and Ace, our most trusted horse. He’s very calm, and he’ll be her paddock companion for the time being. Hopefully that will help her settle down better. He's outside at the moment, but you can see him if you take a look at the paddock behind the parking space. He's a chestnut gelding with a blaze." Akaashi stopped at the end of the aisle and gestured at a stall that had its door open. It looked spacious enough, the floor was covered with clean wood shavings and there was a small plastic cup attached to the wall. Oikawa assumed it was an automatic waterer.

He nodded in approval. "Everything looks fine."

"What's your horse's name? We're going to write it in the chalkboard, so everyone will know this is her stall."

Oikawa quickly checked his notes. "Diva. She's called Diva."

"Diva then. That's probably what they call her too?"

Again, Oikawa had no idea, but he flashed Akaashi a smile. "Yep, that's right!" It was not like the horse was going to tattle.

"Would you like to look around some more or shall we go and take care of the paper work?"

"Let's just get the formalities out of the way." He was hoping to get back home in an hour or so. He had agreed to meet with Mattsun and Makki over drinks, and after spending time inside the stable he needed another shower before he could set foot in a bar.

Akaashi opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by a call at the door. "Tsar coming in!" The same guy Oikawa had first met walked in, holding a rope that's other end was attached to a grey horse. It wasn't very big, but the man still looked small by its side.

"Come on, let's go to my office." Akaashi motioned Oikawa to follow him. "Most of our horses are very friendly, but with Tsar I'm not taking any risks and you shouldn't either. He isn't exactly aggressive, but he was gelded rather late and still has quite a few stallion features. Noya is the one who usually handles him."

What did Akaashi think Oikawa was going to do? Sneak into a foreign horse's stall or something? No, he wouldn't touch any of the horses here. Maybe just his own, if she turned out to be calm and well-mannered.

Just as they stepped into the office, there was a loud clatter in the aisle, that nearly made Oikawa jump, followed by an angry, "You goddamn ox! Stop fussing around for a second!" He assumed that the midget, Noya, was shouting at the horse, not any of his co-workers. Akaashi didn't look like anything was out of place and merely took a seat behind a small desk. The office wasn't really an office but a cramped room with saddles and bridles sitting on the racks around the walls. It smelled like leather and hay. And horses.

"Would you like some coffee?" Akaashi asked, gesturing at a dusty coffee machine on the window sill. "Although, I think it was made a couple hours ago so it's not very tasty anymore."

"No, thank you, I'm good." Oikawa glanced around and found a small, unsteady-looking chair which he pulled underneath him. Akaashi pulled out a stack of papers and handed them over for him to see. He already knew what they were as he had gone through the contract but he proceeded to read them anyway. Full boarding was expensive, so expensive that he could have rented another apartment in the centre (if not one as nice and big as his), but he had deduced from his calculations that the inheritance covered the expenses quite nicely. Besides, he would gladly pay for the knowledge that his horse was in good hands so he could go on with his life. 

Akaashi waited for him to examine the papers before offering him a pen. "Do you have any questions?"

"Yeah, I do, actually. Who's going to train her?"

"I'm going to introduce you to him in a moment. Have you found a rider for her?"

"I'm working on it." That was partially true. He had asked Hitoka-chan if she knew any equestrians looking for a horse to ride and she had promised to ask around. Akaashi didn't seem very pleased with his answer, but at least he refrained from sighing.

"We're going to let her get used to her new home for a few days, but after that she'll need exercise."

"Yes, I understand. I'm sure I'm going to find someone soon." Oikawa straightened the papers and signed them before handing them over to Akaashi. "I... um, I printed the information I got from the previous stable. It might be useful to you. There are instructions of how she's been fed and some other stuff."

"Good. That was what I was going to ask you next."

Oikawa pulled out a folded paper and gave it to Akaashi. Then he just waited, fidgeting on his seat, while Akaashi studied the paper. He had anticipated some kind of a reaction and the head stableman didn't disappoint him.

Akaashi lifted his head, his grey eyes drilling into Oikawa. "You never said she was a trotter."

"Um, yeah, I kind of learned it just recently."

Akaashi looked like he wanted to ask him how. How was it possible that he hadn't known? Oikawa began to feel uncomfortable under the man's persistent gaze. Damn, how could the guy just... stare for so long? Didn't he have a need to blink? 

"She's an _ex-trotter_ ," Oikawa said eventually. "She's been ridden."

"But she's not a jumper or a dressage horse."

Why the hell was this guy so obsessed with jumping and dressage? "We don't know it yet. She may have potential. She's been idle for quite a while."

"It's not very common for an ex-trotter to become a good jumper or a dressage horse. She's not exactly young anymore and she's had a leg injury."

"I'm aware of that. I'd still like to try."

There came the sigh. In any other occasion Oikawa would have chuckled, but now he only wanted to get out of the situation. Good thing that they had already signed the contract, so there was no backing out now. "Hajime is not going to like this," Akaashi muttered to himself.

"He's the one who's going to train my horse?" Oikawa checked.

"Yeah." Akaashi placed his hand on the table and got to his feet. "Come on, let's go meet him." _'You get to explain to him what kind of a mess he's gotten himself into,'_ was left unsaid, but Oikawa could read it in Akaashi's posture.

They went back to the aisle where Noya was grooming the grey horse; Tsar it was called, huh? The horse was tied to the bars on both sides, and they didn't even have to go near it, but Oikawa still kept a close eye on it as they exited the stable.

"He went to get some straw bales," Akaashi explained as they walked over the front yard. He pointed at another structure. "We keep our bales in that shed." There was a quad parked in front of the shed, with a cart attached to its behind. There was also a man up on the hay mountain, throwing very heavy-looking bales down.

"Hajime!" Akaashi shouted to get the man's attention. "Come down for a second. Your new charge's owner is here."

Oikawa observed, mildly aghast, as the man climbed down from the mountain like a pro. He had straws in his clothes and hair, yet there was still something quite alluring in the way he moved. He jumped the last metre onto the ground, landing with a soft thud and came to greet Oikawa with an extended hand. 

"Iwaizumi Hajime."

Oikawa stood there, frozen, his heart doing something that felt like backwards somersaults. He was pretty sure that his eyes were glazed and his jaw was hanging open and his hands were hanging limply by his side, and he probably looked like Forrest Gump's less smart cousin, but he just couldn't bring himself to move.

Because Iwaizumi Hajime was one of the hottest men he had ever laid his eyes on.


	3. The Horse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Yvette for quick betaing again!

Oikawa was aghast and slightly annoyed.

Until now he had thought that his taste in men didn't include the wear-track-pants-publicly type. He had only ever fallen for guys who knew their fashion and left their apartments fully groomed. Then why was Iwaizumi Hajime so fucking hot? He wasn't even a looker in the ultimate sense of the word; someone might have considered his face plain. He wasn't very tall, didn't have a haircut per se but his hair looked like he had trimmed it himself with hedge shears, and his eyebrows definitely needed shaping, but there was something in the way he stood, carried himself, the way he shook Oikawa's hand, and it didn't hurt that his tanned arms could have been featured in the cover of any magazine.

There was a minor detail – okay, maybe not so minor – that caught Oikawa's attention right after he managed to peel his eyes off of Iwaizumi's face and arms. The loose track pants that he was wearing... well, the fabric was quite soft, and apparently underneath Iwaizumi had underpants that weren't that tight either, and it created an image that Oikawa was sure he couldn't get out of his head very soon.

_Lift your chin. Lift your chin, idiot! Lift it, now!_

_But... can you see that bulge? You see it, right?_

_I don't care. Just lift your chin! Don't embarrass yourself!_

_He's keeping it in his right pant leg._

_Oh my god. This is the longest time anyone has ever stared at someone's crotch._

Oikawa was very thankful when the situation was cut off by the sound of a car motor and Akaashi's "That must be your horse". Snapping out of his trance, he turned his head to see a Jeep pulling a horse trailer to the middle of the yard. He thought Iwaizumi might have looked at him suspiciously, but luckily they didn't have time to start investigating whether or not someone had been staring someone else's crotch. Momentarily Oikawa even forgot how hot Iwaizumi was as he was filled with a surprising excitement of finally seeing his horse. Who knew, maybe she looked better in real life?

"Let's go and see then," Iwaizumi said.

A middle-aged man stepped out of the car and waved at them. "Hello there! This is the Fukurodani stable, right? I'm Harada, I believe I have a delivery for you."

"Yes, it is. I'm Akaashi, the head stableman. You must be bringing our new horse. _His_ horse," Akaashi said, nodding towards Oikawa. Did he imagine it, or did Akaashi's voice have an accusing tone?

"Yeah, Diva. You have a stall ready for her? It's been a long ride so it would be best to get her settled right away."

"Yes, the stall is ready. You may take her out. Or do you wish for us to do it?"

"I can take her," the man said, "if her new owner doesn't want to do it himself?"

Oikawa backed a step. "I'll leave it to you."

"I'm going to ask Noya to empty the aisle. Hajime, can you stay here and help Harada-san?

"Yeah, of course."

Akaashi headed towards the stable and Oikawa was left on the yard with Harada and Iwaizumi. The older man went to open the back of the trailer and Iwaizumi hurried to help him. Oikawa felt a bit stupid, standing there and not being able to do anything, but he assumed that with his inexperience he would be more of a hindrance than help.

After the two men had lowered the back of the trailer down, Harada climbed in through a small door in the front of the trailer. Oikawa couldn't see the horse from his angle, but he heard her steps against the floor of the trailer.

"You might want to step back," Iwaizumi told him. "Some horses come out with speed."

Oikawa gladly took the advice, moving further away. Iwaizumi also stepped to the side as the driver backed the horse out of the trailer. She did come out promptly, raising a cloud of dust with her hooves.

And there it was. His horse.

She looked pretty much the same as in the picture: a brown, everyday horse. She had thick pads wrapped around her legs and a rug around her middle, and she seemed agitated – with her head held up high and nostrils flared – as she took extra steps and yanked at her rope. The driver walked a circle with her before taking her towards the stable. Iwaizumi proceeded to follow him. Oikawa went with them too, keeping a safe distance.

"She's an experienced traveller," the man said. "Usually loads very easily, in case you're planning to take her somewhere."

Akaashi appeared at the stable door. "She'll be in the back. You can bring her in. The aisle is clear."

One of the horses let out a neigh as Diva entered the stable. That was the first time Oikawa had heard any noise from any of the animals in the stable. They were very quiet compared to movies where horses seemed to be neighing all the time. The other few that were inside were just looking at the newcomer curiously.

"Hah, Tsar is welcoming the lady," he heard Noya say. He was in a stall with the grey horse, peeking between the bars, and didn't seem to care even though the horse was fussing around behind him.

Akaashi showed the driver the correct stall and the man walked Diva in, detaching the rope and coming straight out. "Do you want to unwrap her yourselves? I wouldn't mind doing it, but I'm already kinda late for my next location. I'm just going to go and get her tack from the trailer."

"No worries. We'll do it. Thank you," Akaashi said as the man exited from the stall. "Hajime, want to get started with her?"

Oikawa felt like an outsider, standing there and just observing what the other guys were doing. Everyone was so professional and experienced even though they were handling a foreign horse. Luckily nobody seemed to expect anything from him. Iwaizumi got in the stall with the horse and Akaashi followed the driver outside.

"So..." Oikawa began as he had waited for Iwaizumi to somehow acknowledge his presence. "How does she look? Everything alright?"

Iwaizumi didn't respond to him right away but merely kept stripping the horse of her equipment. Diva had calmed down considerably after getting in the stall. She was peering around and occasionally lowering her head to sniff at the man who was squatting by her legs. Only after getting all the pads off and dropping them outside from between the bars did Iwaizumi allow Oikawa to know that he had indeed heard him.

"She is a trotter?" It was a question but just barely. Iwaizumi already knew. What was it with these horse people? Iwaizumi didn't look at him but went to take the rug off of Diva's back.

"Um, sort of. She has been ridden."

Noya came to stand next to Oikawa. Damn, the guy was small. He barely reached Oikawa in the shoulder. "So that's her, huh? How old is she?"

"Eleven."

"She's an ex-trotter?"

Oikawa was getting tired of answering questions regarding his horse's previous profession. He honestly didn't see _that_ much difference between the other Fukurodani horses and Diva. "Yeah, apparently."

"You're gonna ride her?"

"No, I don't know how to ride."

"Are you a harness race person then?"

 _Do I look like one?_ Noya was the one that had been criticizing his outfit with his gaze. "I'm not a horse person at all."

Noya wasn't surprised. Maybe he had already known or had been suspecting it. "How come you bought a horse then?"

"I inherited it." _What did you think? That I just decided to buy one on a whim?_

"Really? This is the first time I hear of someone inheriting a horse."

"She belonged to my Great Uncle."

"You didn't want to sell her?"

Oikawa didn't feel like explaining the whole story so he merely said, "That option wasn't available."

Noya's brows shot up. "Huh, weird."

Iwaizumi had finished getting Diva out of her travelling clothes and exited the stall. He hung the rug over the metal rack in the stall door and turned to look at Oikawa. His expression was unreadable, but Oikawa was sure that whatever was about to come out of his mouth, he was not going to like it.

"Let me get this straight," Iwaizumi began, crossing his arms over his chest. "What we have here is an ex-trotter with an old injury and you brought her to a riding stable for training?"

 _Fuck, it's a horse, what more do you want?_ "But they said that she's healed completely and she's been ridden too."

"How much?"

"I don't really know."

"Has she been trained as a riding horse?"

"I don't know that either."

"She had a bone bruise?"

"Yes." Oikawa suddenly felt very hot. Had Iwaizumi noticed something in the horse's legs? What if she wasn't fully healed? "Were the legs okay?"

"I didn't notice any discomfort or swelling if that's what you're asking. Still, she's so out of shape that the training will take months."

"Well, I have a year," Oikawa said. Iwaizumi looked at him funnily. "You can do it, though, can't you?"

"I don't know. A lot depends on the horse and its spirit."

"They said she's a fighter," Oikawa lied. "Very tenacious."

"But basically you have no idea how much she's been ridden and what she already knows."

Oikawa shrugged. Iwaizumi sighed in a tell-tale 'Thought so' way.

Noya had been listening earnestly to their exchange and when Iwaizumi fell silent, he asked yet another question Oikawa wasn't comfortable answering. "If you're not going to ride her, who is then?"

"I don't know yet."

Iwaizumi dropped his arms to his sides, looking at him with serious concern. "You don't have a rider for her?"

"Not yet. I'm working on it, though. But until then, couldn't you ride her? I mean, if you're going to train her and everything..."

"I train two other horses in this stable too. One of them competes in show jumping on an international level, the other is a novice. They both require a lot of my attention."

A sudden bang of misery hit him. Why was nothing going according to his plans? First his horse had turned out to be an ex-trotter which apparently meant a 3rd rate horse in the equestrian world and now he learned that her trainer was a blunt, ill-mannered (and hot, but it didn't matter at the moment) brute. He was beginning to wonder if the money was really worth it.

He must have looked quite crestfallen, because Iwaizumi sighed again and this time the tone was resigned. "I can ride her some, but maybe not every day. First we're going to let her settle for a couple of days and then we'll think more about her training. You do have some time to find a suitable person to ride her."

"Okay, I understand. I'm doing my best."

Iwaizumi rubbed his hands on the back of his pants absent-mindedly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have quite a lot of work to do. Noya, I'm going to take Cow in and saddle her for Hinata. Kuroo said he couldn't make it today."

"Want me to ride Ace today? I don't have anywhere to be."

"That would be a big help. Thanks."

"Sure thing!"

As Iwaizumi walked away from them, Oikawa thought he heard him mutter something along the lines 'Ugh, I hate mares'.

"You have cows too?" Oikawa asked, perplexed. He hadn't seen any in the paddocks. And why would you _saddle_ a cow? 

Noya burst out in laughter. "Oh no, no! We just call one of our horses 'Cow', because she has a big cow-like snip on her muzzle."

"Right." Oikawa assumed that snip meant a white marking in Equestrian.

"She also has blue eyes. Very pretty horse."

 _Must be much prettier than mine._ Oikawa turned to look at the stall were Diva was fumbling through the wood shavings with her muzzle. She hadn't been groomed properly as there were stains on her stomach and her coat was lackluster. Besides, calling her 'chubby' was definitely an understatement. She resembled more of a barrel. 

"Hey, horsy," he called. The mare lifted her head, taking one glance at him before resuming her ministrations. "Why are you such a lardball?"

Noya chuckled. "She's a bit plump, but don't worry. Hajime will get her back in shape in no time."

"He said it will take months."

"Yep, it will take months. But I think he can still do it faster than many other trainers on the field, even with his other charges."

"I hope so."

Noya nudged his side, urging him to lean closer. "I'm gonna tell you something, but don't let Hajime know that I told you," he spoke sotto voce despite the aisle being empty.

"Oh. Um, sure."

"About two years ago Hajime was in an accident. He fell off a horse and landed on a fence. He broke two of his vertebra and even though they healed, his back hasn't been the same after that. He can ride but not as much as before. His back can't take serious jumping anymore; he can only jump cavaletti. Therefore he gets grumpy if you bring it up. I suggest finding your horse a committed rider, otherwise she won't get very far."

"I see. I'll try my best. Thank you for telling me, Noya-ch– san." Oikawa really was thankful. Despite his first disapproving glance, Noya had turned out to be the first genuinely nice person in the stable.

Noya flashed him a smile, not even commenting on his obvious slip. "No worries, Oikawa-san. Welcome to Team Fukurodani!"

* * *

By his next visit to the Fukurodani stable Oikawa's spirits had lifted again. So maybe his horse wasn't the prettiest or slimmest. Maybe she was an ex-trotter. Maybe she had had an injury. But she must have some potential, otherwise Uncle Sato wouldn't have kept her or insisted that someone in the family inherit her. Oikawa just had to discover that potential. 

Hitoka-chan had been very helpful but there was still the issue of the non-existent rider. Oikawa considered sending an ad on some equestrian web pages, but there was always the danger that the candidates wouldn't be suitable. He would have preferred someone who was not a complete stranger. He hoped Iwaizumi wouldn't bring the topic up today.

It was Sunday so he had the whole day free. A few days had passed since the arrival of Diva, so he assumed that her training would start soon. He wanted to be there to see it and hear what the staff had to say about his horse – how much she knew or if she was good at something. Maybe he wanted to see Iwaizumi again too. They had started off on the completely wrong foot. Now that Iwaizumi had had time to observe his horse, they could have a more productive conversation about her training. Not that Oikawa knew any more of horses than he had previously, but he was ready to learn. A little bit. If Iwaizumi would be the one to teach him.

The dark-haired trainer was outside when Oikawa turned off the engine and stepped out of his car. He actually stopped with the wheelbarrow he was pushing and watched Oikawa approach him.

"Hello there, Iwaizumi-san!" Oikawa greeted, waving his hand. "How are you today?"

"I'm fine. Good that you came today."

"Really?" Oikawa halted in front of the man. _He's pleased that I came today? Maybe there's some hope after all. Just... do not stare at his crotch. Do not stare at his crotch!_

Fortunately... or unfortunately, how you chose to look at it, today Iwaizumi was wearing faded jeans that covered pretty much everything. Yes, there was a bulge but it wasn't that... transparent. Oikawa managed to lift his eyes and look the man in the eyes.

"Yes, I was thinking about starting with your horse soon. It's about time for her get back to work."

Oikawa nodded eagerly. "I agree."

"This is what I was thinking. I'm going to lunge her a bit and see how she moves and obeys."

 _You're going to do what?_ "Sure, sounds good."

Iwaizumi glared at him from the shadow of his brows. "You have no idea what lunging means, do you?"

Oikawa flashed him an apologetic smile. "Nope."

"Then you should come along and see."

_As long as I don't have to do anything myself._

Iwaizumi picked up the wheelbarrow again and began walking it towards the stable. Oikawa followed.

"How's my horse been behaving?" he asked.

"For the most part... horribly."

"What? Why? What has she done?"

"She's been banging and kicking her stall walls constantly, and yesterday she dragged Hinata across the yard when he was trying to walk her to a paddock."

"Oh my..." Oikawa was at a loss of words. "Sorry? I didn't know..."

"You had no idea of her character, did you?"

"Not really," he admitted. "Her previous grooms didn't say anything about it."

"She probably just has too much pent-up energy, since she's just been idling about. Stable vices usually originate from having too little exercise."

That made sense. People were the same. If you didn't have anything to do, you could become restless and adapt some bad habits. When Oikawa's knee had been on its worst and he had been doomed to sit inside, he had started to gnaw at his fingernails while sitting in front of the TV watching stupid reality shows.

"So... that means that she will start behaving better once she resumes regular exercise?"

"Yeah, hopefully. That should at least tone down some bad habits."

Oikawa rolled his shoulders back. "I'm sure there are some positive things, too." His horse couldn't be all bad.

Iwaizumi thought about it for a while. For _a very long_ while. "She's getting along nicely with Ace."

Well, it was something, wasn't it?

Iwaizumi parked the wheelbarrow next to the stable door and motioned him to follow inside. "Come on, let's go see her."

There was quite a play going on when they entered the stable. First there was a loud banging noise, and just as Oikawa stepped in, he saw Noya kicking Diva's stall door and shouting, "Stop it, you beast!"

The noise stopped immediately. Oikawa was impressed. For such a small guy Noya was pretty feisty.

Okay, maybe he was feisty in general. Oikawa was 25 centimetres taller than the guy and he would have never dared to pick a fight with a horse.

Soon enough Diva started again... whatever she was doing. Maybe kicking her walls, like Iwaizumi had mentioned. The sound was piercingly loud in the otherwise quiet stable. Oikawa fought the urge to cover his ears.

Iwaizumi glanced at him meaningfully. "See? Or hear?"

"I do. That must be quite annoying."

Noya noticed them and his expression brightened. "Oh great, are you here to take her out? I can't listen to that anymore. I'm literally done. If you don't take her out, I will."

"I'm going to lunge her."

"Awesome. I recommend two hours of constant trotting. No breaks."

Iwaizumi chuckled. Oikawa didn't want to admit what the sound did to him, how warm it made him feel. So Iwaizumi did have some sense of humour after all, even if he looked like Mr. Grumpy at the first glance.

"I'm going to get her bridle and other stuff. You can wait here."

"Oikawa-san," Noya called out to him. "Come here. Do you want to pet your horse?"

Pet her? But she was kicking around and being a nasty little horse demon! What if she attacked him?

"Come on, Oikawa-san!" Noya urged him again and Oikawa got himself moving. "I can hold her for you if you want to pat her neck."

He didn't really want to. He had chosen his clothes a bit differently this time, after finding out that the horse smell stuck like gum and having to take his jacket to a dry cleaner’s. He was wearing a sport outfit that could be tossed in the washing machine, but he still didn't wish to get any horse hair on it. But Noya was looking at him with such excitement that he found himself nodding just barely.

Diva was peering at them through the bars. One time she began lowering her head and Noya immediately made a disapproving noise, making her snap her attention back at them.

"She's just bored, that's why she keeps doing that," the little man explained. "She's got some spirit, but she isn't purposely mean. She's already made a friend." He nodded towards the stall next to Diva's where a chestnut brown horse with a big white mark on its head was nodding off. Even half asleep it was quite majestic looking with a long, wavy mane and a thick fringe, quite different from Diva's straight, fine hair.

Noya opened the stall door a bit, slipped inside and grabbed the horse by the bridle or whatever she was wearing on her head, before pushing the door out of the way. "Here. She won't bite you."

Reluctantly, Oikawa got closer and extended her hand to pet lightly at the horse's neck. Her coat was soft and warm, and she looked much cleaner than before, so she must have been groomed properly. He could see Diva glancing at him from the corner of her eye, but she didn't move, maybe just because she couldn't with Noya hanging onto her.

He didn't have to act like he was enjoying petting his horse, since Iwaizumi came back. The trainer had a hank of rope and a bridle with him. And a _huge_ whip.

Oikawa's brows shot up. "You're going to spank her with that thing?" 

Noya snorted. Iwaizumi looked at him like he was a complete moron. "I'm not going to spank her. This is a lunging whip. It helps to guide and urge the horse to go forward."

It was still a fucking huge whip. Oikawa cocked his head. Oh well, this could become amusing.

He stepped aside as Iwaizumi changed Diva's headwear, attached the long rope to it and took her out of the stall. She was walking calmly enough even though Iwaizumi had claimed that...

Oh, okay.

Right after getting in the broad daylight, Diva surged forward, tossing her head.

_Great, my horse is officially a problem child._

Oikawa retreated quickly, but Iwaizumi had apparently been waiting for it, since he forced the horse to turn back and walk a small circle around him. Every time the horse tried to run he did the same thing. It took them a couple of minutes to even get in the paddock, or maybe it was an arena. It was clearly made for riding; it had a sand finish instead of grass. Iwaizumi walked Diva in and closed the gate. Oikawa stood outside, leaning on the fence and watching as Iwaizumi sent the horse to walk around him. Despite the sunny weather, there was a cool breeze, and Oikawa dug around his bag for a scarf, wrapping it around his neck. Who knew how long they were going to be outside for?

"She's stiff," Iwaizumi said, watching Diva move. "That was to be expected if she hasn't gotten much exercise late–" Suddenly the horse leaped forward and threw her hind legs in the air, kicking back. Oikawa jumped, but Iwaizumi merely tightened his grip on the rope and urged the horse forward by touching her legs with the whip. She slowed down for half a circle but began jumping again soon enough.

"Why's she doing that?"

"Too much energy. Horses should be given regular exercise. She should be lunged and allowed to run around in a paddock before riding. She needs to let out the extra steam," Iwaizumi sounded so calm even though the horse was cavorting around him. Oikawa noticed that his heart was pounding more rapidly than normal. That looked dangerous! What if the horse kicked Iwaizumi in the head and Oikawa had to pay for his hospital bills? His inheritance would hardly cover that.

If the horse kicked Iwaizumi, he would definitely have her put down, and crazy Great Uncle Sato and his last will could go to hell.

But Oikawa soon came to realize that this wasn't the first time Iwaizumi was handling a rampaging horse. He didn't seem to pay any mind to the horse's bucking or bad attitude; he simply held his ground, every now and then commanding her to run faster with his voice or whip and she obeyed. Oikawa found that he was glued to the spot, unable to remove his eyes from the man. Okay, so maybe Iwaizumi's bulging, tanned biceps had something to do with it, but that was not all. His calm style of working was an absolute pleasure to watch, not to mention the way he overpowered the horse without seemingly doing anything. Iwaizumi Hajime was like Cesar Millan of horses.

He was welcome to Oikawa's bedroom with his whip any time.

"I'll change directions," Iwaizumi commented, stopping the horse and walking up to her to switch the rope to the other side of the bridle before sending her to trot to opposite direction. Diva was breathing heavily. Sweat had darkened her coat in the neck and sides and some foam had splashed from her mouth to her chest. Oikawa wondered why the stupid animal still wanted to jump around and take spurts even if she was visibly exhausted. 

"Every horse is a bit lopsided," Iwaizumi continued. "I'm going to check which side is her stronger one, but from what I've already seen, I'd say it's the left. That's usually the case with trotters. She's been lunged before, though. Let's see if she knows any basic commands. Diva, walk. _Waaaalk._ "

Diva slowed down eventually, but Oikawa didn't know if it had more to do with her getting tired than Iwaizumi commanding her. She kept walking until Iwaizumi urged her back to trot.

"Good, she's listening to me now," he said. "How about canter? Canter. Canter! Come on! Canter!" He made a clicking sound with his tongue. Diva sped up but didn't canter.

Maybe Iwaizumi had gotten the horse to canter eventually, hadn't the wind intervened with their work. A sudden gust got caught in Oikawa's scarf, snatching it from around his neck and throwing it towards the man and the horse in the arena.

It all happened so fast that Oikawa's brain didn't manage to register it, but one second Iwaizumi was making the horse move peacefully around him and the next Diva was rushing to the other end of the arena with the rope flapping freely behind her, and Iwaizumi was staggering and trying to find his balance. There was a cloud of dust whirling just above the ground.

"Jesus, what the hell happened?" Oikawa called out. "Are you okay, Iwaizumi-san?"

Iwaizumi took off his glove, checking his hand for a burn, as the rope had been violently pulled out his hand. "Yeah, I'm fine." Then, without sparing a glance at Oikawa, he went to grab the scarf from the ground where the wind was still making it flutter and brought it to him.

"Thank you, Iwaizumi-san," Oikawa said, holding out his hand. There was no way he would have gone inside the fence to fetch the scarf himself, not when the horse was behaving so unpredictably.

Iwaizumi was about to give him his scarf, but he pulled his hand back at the last second and bore his dark eyes into Oikawa. "Next time," he said, his voice almost a hiss between his clenched teeth. "Do everyone here a favour and leave your scarf at home."

Oikawa blinked, taken aback. "Why, what's wrong with– wait, are you telling me she got crazy because of my scarf?" That was a bit... exaggerated, wasn't it? A little overreacting there, no, horsy? Oikawa would have accepted if the damn animal had startled a bit but there really was no need to flee to the other end of the arena!

Iwaizumi was still holding his scarf away from him, refusing to give it back. He looked... angry. Oikawa gulped. He had only met Iwaizumi twice, but he could already say that the man was quite intimidating when he was angry.

"I understand that you know nothing about horses, so here's lesson number one. Pay close attention."

Oikawa nodded weakly.

"Horses are prey animals. In the wild, they don't get a second chance. They run first and then turn back to look what it was that scared them. They get scared _very easily, very small_ things can startle them and their first reaction is to _escape_. You should never wear anything fluttery near horses."

"Oh," was all that Oikawa managed.

"Here. Put this thing in your bag and keep it in there."

Oikawa took the scarf, not daring to dust it off but just quickly folded it and stuffed it in his bag. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare her," he offered. "Is your hand alright?"

Iwaizumi huffed and nodded once. "Yeah, it's fine. This is not the first time a horse has pulled me across the ring and it definitely won't be the last." He didn't sound angry saying that, and Oikawa relaxed.

"Are you going to stop for now?" he asked.

"No. I'm going to lunge her a bit more so this is not the last memory she has of our ring and lunging. Always end on a positive note."

That Oikawa could understand. He watched Iwaizumi walk up to the horse that had stopped and was standing at the furthest corner of the arena, looking very alert with her head held up high and ears pricked towards them. But she didn't run away, allowing Iwaizumi to grab the rope and walk her back. Oikawa could see that she was breathing very heavily, but once Iwaizumi guided her to walk around him once more, she lowered her head and let out a deep sigh. She seemed to be submitting to her fate.

Oikawa took out his phone and snapped a picture of the man and the horse in the ring, sending it over to Hiyori with a text.

_'My horse is a big ball of lard with a bad attitude. But as you can see, her trainer is an absolute hunk.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If Yachi is a bower and Akaashi is a sigher, then Oikawa must be a crotch-starer. :D


	4. The First Ride

"Hitoka-chan! I need your help!"

Once again Oikawa managed to disturb Hitoka during her lunch. As someone at the bottom of the pack, she didn’t really have a defined lunch time, so she ate when she had a spare moment. She wasn't as jumpy around him as before, but she still jolted at his sudden entry and began shoving food into her mouth with lightning speed – again. Oikawa sighed and sat at the table opposite of her.

"Relax, you can help me right here. No need to rush your lunch."

Hitoka took a swig of water and swallowed painfully. "What can I do for you, Oikawa-san?"

"I have a dilemma."

"What kind?"

Oikawa sighed theatrically, flopping his upper body onto the table. "I still have no rider for Diva!"

"Oh. Yes, that is a bit of a problem. Have you still been asking around?" 

"I have! I just don't know where to find a suitable person. I don't want any inept idiot riding my horse. And that's only part of the problem!"

Hitoka nodded sympathetically. "Oh my. So what else..?"

Oikawa dragged himself to sit up again. "You know I'm gay, right?"

He caught Hitoka off guard – of course, the girl was as innocent as a baby penguin. She gaped at him, shocked as if he had told her that he was a serial killer. "Um... what? No, I didn't... I mean, you don't loo–"

"Look gay? Of course I do. I dress in fancy clothes, my fashion sense is always immaculate and I spend approximately 6000 yen on hair products every month."

Hitoka mumbled something that sounded like 'I didn't know only gays were entitled to that'. Oikawa ignored her.

"So I'm obviously gay and I obviously like men," he stated.

Hitoka squirmed on her seat, her lunch forgotten, before looking at him timidly. "Um, so how do these two things... relate?"

"They relate, because Diva's trainer is hot! He's really freaking hot and I want to make a good impression, but until now I've only managed to mess things up!" Oikawa wailed before fumbling around his pocket for his phone. "Look, look! I'll show you his picture."

That was apparently another reason for Hitoka to look scandalized. "You took his picture?"

"No, of course not. Okay, I did, but only from behind while he was _lunging_ Diva," he pronounced the word carefully, proud that he already knew some Equestrian. "I found him on Facebook. Look!" He shoved his phone in Hitoka's face. Right after getting back from the stable, he had googled Iwaizumi Hajime and come up with several results. There had been some old article about his accident and while the text didn't go into too many details, Oikawa had learned that in the middle of a competition Iwaizumi's horse had tripped over a big fence and both the man and the horse had gone tumbling down. The horse had survived without any serious injuries but Iwaizumi... yeah, he had broken his back. The writer said that the show jumping world had lost a promising talent. Oikawa had also learned that Iwaizumi had been 26 at the time of the accident, and if he counted correctly from the date of the article, Iwaizumi was the same age as him. What a coincidence!

After that he had found Iwaizumi on Facebook. His profile was mostly secluded but there were still some photos for everyone to see, such as his profile picture in which he looked as serious as ever.

Hitoka obediently peered at the picture. "Yes, he looks..."

"Hot as hell?"

"I was going to say 'stoic'."

"Well, that too. He has very nice posture." He almost told Hitoka about Iwaizumi's loose track pants, but on a second thought, decided to keep it to himself. She might have freaked out, taken that she had probably never seen a naked guy in her life. She handed his phone back and Oikawa pocketed it, lowering his hands to rest them on the table. "Can you see my problem now? Iwaizumi thinks I'm a nuisance and I want to change it."

"Do you know about his... um, orientation?"

"Come on, everyone's gay once in a while. Haven't you seen Tropic Thunder?"

Apparently Hitoka-chan hadn't as she just kept blinking cluelessly at him.

"Anyway, my most urgent problem is to find a rider for Diva," he explained.

Her gaze turned from stunned to sympathetic. "I can show you some websites where you could search for one. There are many people out there looking for a regular horse to ride."

"But how do I know if they are any good?"

"You could always make your own ad," Hitoka suggested. "Make your requirements very clear. That might rule out some unsuitable candidates."

Oikawa wasn't very pleased, but he was running out of options. "I suppose I could give it a try. Will you help me compose the ad, Hitoka-chan?"

"Sure, I can help you, but I'm sorry, I need to run some errands today. Mizoguchi-san said I need to finish those tasks today. But if you can wait until four or something..."

Mizoguchi and his errands could go to hell, if you asked Oikawa, but he didn't want to cause Hitoka any trouble, so he nodded. "Four sounds good. Why don't we go and have a nice cup of coffee in that little café down the corner and write the ad there? My treat."

A faint blush spread on Hitoka's cheeks. Maybe it was a big thing for her to be seen in the company of such a handsome and obviously successful man as Oikawa, even though his revelation meant she couldn't confuse his suggestion with a date.

"You could be my official queer dear," he added.

"Oikawa-san..."

"Okay, stop it with 'Oikawa-san'. Call me Tooru."

Hitoka looked to be on the verge of a heart attack, but she collected herself rather quickly. "Tooru-san..."

"Just drop the -san altogether."

"I can't. That would be too..."

"If you're my official queer dear, you don't need to address me so formally." 

"Can I at least call you Oikawa-san in front of the other staff?" she asked timidly, squeezing her hands together in her lap.

Oikawa waved his hand. "If you must."

"Thank you."

"Well then, have a nice rest of the lunch," he said, getting to his feet. "I'll see you at four."

* *

 _'Looking for an experienced rider for an ex-trotter mare in training. Good dressage and jumping skills required. The rider should be able to give the horse exercise 4-5 times a week.'_ And then the contact information.

"Shouldn't it be a bit longer?" Oikawa asked, taking a sip of his latte. "More description about Diva and what I expect from the rider?"

Hitoka glanced at him. "What do expect from them?"

"That they do it for free. I'm not going to pay them." He was already paying a fortune for Diva's boarding, so this is where he needed to save money. The permission to ride a horse for free had to be enough.

"That goes without saying."

"It does?"

"Yes, on these websites people mostly offer their horses for rent. Like, the riders pay them to get to ride their horse."

"Shit, should I do that too? Ask for money?"

"If you want to?"

"But Diva is so difficult... Why would anyone want to pay for riding her?" Not to mention that she was an ex-trotter and therefore the absolute scum of the horse community.

"You'd be surprised," Hitoka assured him. "Riding is very expensive so not everyone has money to pay for riding school lessons. They'd be happy to get to groom and ride for a lower price. But then again, you're looking for someone with good skills so finding a suitable person is a bit trickier."

Oikawa sighed. "Can we post the ad on some other site too?"

"Yes, let's post it on all the big equestrian sites to maximize your chances."

"Great! Thank you, Hitoka-chan."

"It's really no problem, Oik– Tooru-san."

"After that I need to get going. Iwaizumi texted me that he's going to try riding Diva today and I want to be there to see it."

"This is the first time someone's going to ride her here?"

"Yes. I'm sort of scared of the outcome."

"You shouldn't worry. They are professionals."

Yes, they were and Oikawa wasn't really worried that they couldn't handle Diva. He was worried what the temperamental mare would make him look like in the eyes of her trainer.

* * *

Iwaizumi was in the stable, already grooming Diva in the aisle, when Oikawa got there. This time the trainer was wearing a white shirt and dark blue riding pants that were a very snug fit and pulled way too up and oh god, why did those pants have to be so _tight_?!

Iwaizumi cleared his throat. "You know, I have a face too."

Oikawa quickly lifted his eyes, fighting the heat that threatened to assault his face and trying to look like nothing was out of place – he had just been admiring Iwaizumi's flashy riding boots!

"Sorry, I got distracted by your... what are those?" He pointed at leathery wraps around Diva's front legs.

"Tendon boots. They came with her so I assume she needs them."

"Oh, they protect her legs from injuries or something?"

"Yeah, exactly that." 

"Similar to people's."

"Yeah." Iwaizumi put the brush he'd had been grooming Diva with in a bucket and lifted her saddle. It looked quite heavy, but he picked it up like it was a newborn baby.

"Can I do something?" Oikawa asked. Not that he knew anything, but he was getting tired of just standing there passively.

"Don't stand so close to her head." Iwaizumi swung the saddle onto the mare's back and was immediately answered by a clack of teeth. Diva turned her head, trying to first bite the man who had put the offending thing onto her back and then Oikawa, but the ropes resisted. Oikawa was glad she had been tied so tightly, otherwise she might have reached his shoulder and he was wearing a nice tricot jacket that didn't need horse teeth markings. Iwaizumi adjusted the saddle and dropped a belt that had been resting over it to the other side of the horse, bending over to catch it from below Diva's stomach. "She's going to try to do it again in a second so keep your distance."

Oikawa took another step back. Iwaizumi lifted the belt's end up and began buckling it to the saddle. "Many horses don't like it when the girth is tightened." Sure enough, when Iwaizumi pulled the belt – girth – up, Diva tossed her head and pawed at the floor with one of her front hooves. Oikawa could relate to her; it couldn't feel very nice to have your belt pulled on tight. 

"Hey, hey, hey, how are things going on here?"

Oikawa turned towards the sudden sound and saw a tall man with a weird black and grey hair styled into spikes walking down the aisle. He had muscular build, much more than Iwaizumi, and while he was more funny-looking than handsome, his gold-toned, round eyes were quite enrapturing.

"Bokuto Koutarou," the man said, offering his hand to Oikawa. "You must be Diva's owner."

"That's right. My name's Oikawa Tooru. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to finally meet _you_!" the man said, shaking his hand vigorously. He was talking louder than anyone before in the stable which Oikawa found weird since he had read that a stable was like a library where people should avoid any unnecessary noise. "Until now, I thought Akaashi had just made you up, since I never saw you around."

"I have a full-time job in the city," Oikawa explained. "That's why I wanted full boarding for Diva."

"Yeah, and because you don't know how to ride," Bokuto stated.

"That too."

"You've seen Eule? He's the big grey Holsteiner whose stall is right beside the front door. He's my horse. Well, mine and Akaashi's, but I'm the one competing with him."

"I think I've seen him." Oikawa already wished Bokuto would bugger off, so he could be alone with Iwaizumi, but the man didn't show any intentions of leaving.

Apparently he had avoided Fukurodani's busiest hours until now, since he had only met Iwaizumi, Akaashi and Noya. Suddenly four more people burst through the front door, chattering and walking in a brisk pace. Okay, one of them was Akaashi, so he wasn't that much chattering but concentrating on looking serious, but the other three had a lot to say to each other. Oikawa recognized Noya too, but he had never seen the two other men.

"Hey, hey, guys!" Bokuto called at them. "You gonna come and see Hajime ride our new girl?"

"Of course! We're all here to see what happens, except Kuroo who's going to go hack out with Cow."

More introductions were exchanged. Kuroo was a tall guy with a cat-like grin, black messy hair hanging over his right eye and a face that would have made Oikawa flirt with him hadn't Iwaizumi existed. The last guy, as short as Noya, and looking barely 18, was Hitoka-chan's famous friend Hinata. He had red, almost orange hair, big eyes and he seemed very enthusiastic about everything, immediately asking if Iwaizumi needed any help and if he could bridle Diva. Iwaizumi handed the headwear over to the guy.

"She's a very nice horse," Hinata told Oikawa, patting Diva on the neck.

"Didn't she drag you across the yard?"

"She did, but that's alright. She just wanted to get to the paddock quickly. She knows how to walk calmly nowadays!" Hinata kept babbling on as he put the bridle on Diva. She accepted it much better than the saddle. "Can I walk her out, Iwaizumi-san?"

Oikawa saw something like a half-smile playing on Iwaizumi's lips. Apparently he had some heart for over-excited shrimps. "Sure, go ahead."

Hinata untied Diva and took her reins, beginning to walk her out. All the while he kept talking to the horse with a soft, encouraging tone and petting her neck. Oikawa was genuinely surprised.

_Well, at least one person here likes my horse, even if it's the rookie of the team. Maybe he has yet to develop the sense to tell the good horses apart from the poor ones._

In the arena Hinata held Diva still so that Iwaizumi could tighten the girth and was almost reluctant to hand over the reins to the trainer. He did it though, giving Diva a final pat before slipping out and joining the audience behind the fence.

Everyone else seemed either calm or keen, like they were about to watch a fun show, but Oikawa could feel his heart thumping in his chest and his palms sweating. Why did he have the hunch that something was going to go wrong? Nothing ever went according to plans with his doomed horse-owning project.

Iwaizumi gathered the reins in his hand and took a hold on the saddle before placing his foot in a stirrup and kicking from the ground. He landed on the mare's back smoothly, adjusting his position and probably feeling the horse underneath him. Even wearing a helmet and sitting on a stupid lardball of a horse, he looked so... majestic, with his back straight and his arm flexing when he held the reins. His thighs and ass must be extremely well formed from riding for years. Did there perhaps happen to be communal showers in Fukurodani?

Diva's ears kept twisting and she took a few hesitant sidesteps. Iwaizumi did something and she began walking in a large circle. 

Okay, that didn't look too bad. Maybe she knew how to be ridden after all.

Hinata looked up to Oikawa. "So you're not a rider, Oikawa-san?"

"No, I'm not. I just..."

"You just inherited the horse," Bokuto interjected. "Quite an unusual inheritance if you ask me, but oh well, you could have done worse, eh?"

Oikawa wasn't so sure. "Maybe?"

"I mean, you could have inherited a huge debt. Or a mouldy house."

"I could have declined it," he pointed out.

Bokuto was surprised. "You can do that?"

"Yes, you can," Akaashi said from the other side of him. "She's very stiff," he continued while scanning the horse and the man in the arena. "Very tensed up."

Oikawa gulped. "Do you think... Iwaizumi feels it?"

"Oh, he feels it alright. He's trying to get her to relax."

"So, Oikawa-san!" Hinata sought his attention. "You know Hitoka-chan? You work in the same place?"

"Yes, I do."

"She said you're like, one of the most successful stylists in the company!"

Oikawa decided he liked Shrimpy. He turned to face the boy, flashing him a wide smile. "Did she now?"

"Yes, she says everyone there admires your immaculate intuition when it comes to dressing people up."

Oh, Hitoka-chan, he had to remember to thank her later. He only wished Iwaizumi would have heard Hinata's words. Oikawa wasn't sure he would have cared, though. He looked like a person who only put clothes on in the morning so that he wouldn't be naked in public.

"Although she did say there's one person who's not so..." Hinata trailed off to probably find words that weren't too insulting. 

"Mizoguchi-san, yeah, he's my senior, sort of my boss. He's an asshole with an ugly face and uninspiring hair."

Hinata ooh'd and laughed at the same time, his eyes lighting up like fireworks. Damn, this kid was too bubbly for his own good.

"I can't feel any limping. Can you see anything?" Iwaizumi asked as he rode by his audience.

Akaashi shook his head. "No, her legs seem okay. She's just very tense."

"Yep. I'm going to try some trotting." 

Iwaizumi urged the horse forward and she sped up first, but suddenly began trying to turn inside, her head twisting in a weird way. Iwaizumi corrected her, but she was slowing down and abruptly stopped altogether.

"It did look too good to be true," Noya commented, lowering to rest his head over his crossed arms.

Oikawa didn't know what Iwaizumi's plan was; he was squeezing the horse with his legs, forcing her to move, but she didn't want to walk straight, instead squirming and sidestepping with her nose up high and the whites of her eyes flashing. It was a battle of wills. Which one was stronger, the man or the horse?

As Iwaizumi's aids became more compelling, Diva began to spin around her forelegs, raising a puff of dust. With the speed she was doing it with, Oikawa could tell that an inexperienced rider would have already been sniffing dirt.

"Do you think that's because she hasn't been ridden enough or she's just being an ass?" Bokuto asked.

"I have no idea," Oikawa replied truthfully. "They said she's been ridden, but I don't know how much or if that was a year ago or something."

Diva tossed her head and took a _huge_ leap to her right – at this point Oikawa suspected Iwaizumi had glued his ass into the saddle – jumping around aimlessly before making a full stop again.

"You know, you have my permission to whip her," he muttered. Noya heard him and snorted, but the others were too engaged watching as the duo in the arena was trying to come into consensus.

Bokuto was the first one to raise the alarm. It was when Diva began backing up, her head held up high, and her bottom sort of... sunk. "Watch out, Hajime! She's gonna rear! She's gonna rear!"

Even Akaashi, Mr. Calm himself, was getting agitated. "Hajime, get down from there! Watch your back!"

The fear spread into Oikawa. Oh fuck, what if his horse was going to cripple Iwaizumi again?! "Iwaizumi-san, get down from that stupid horse!"

Diva rose to her hind legs, luckily not very high, but she didn't stop there, her front hooves only touching the ground before kicking off again. And that was when Iwaizumi, during that one second when the horse's all hooves were on the ground, swung his leg over Diva's bottom and jumped onto the ground.

Diva calmed down almost instantly, allowing Iwaizumi to lift the reins over her head and walk her to the gate. Oikawa was both shocked and angry. Jesus, what a bitch!

"There's nothing quite as dangerous as a horse that rears," Noya explained to him. "She could easily flip over and hurt both herself and her rider."

Oikawa could very well picture that. Why did he have to inherit such a malicious animal?

"There's nothing wrong with her back, is there?" Hinata asked Akaashi.

The head stableman brushed his hair back from his forehead and took a deep breath. "I don't think so. Iwaizumi has examined her carefully and she has a double pad under the saddle. I also think a back pain would manifest as bucking rather than rearing. However, she might have a too hard bit. We need to look into it."

Bokuto was getting riled up. "Fuck, Hajime, give her to me! I'm gonna show her what's the policy in this stable. She needs a martingale, though. Shouyou, go get one for me, will you? And bring me a crop too!"

Hinata left, hurrying towards the stable, as Bokuto went to get the helmet and gloves from Iwaizumi.

Akaashi turned to Oikawa, his expression slightly uneasy. "This might look a bit harsh for someone who's not an equestrian but..."

"I don't care," Oikawa interrupted. "Just whip the demon out of her."

Noya burst out laughing and even Akaashi smiled a bit. "Well, it won't be _that_ harsh. The crop will only be there to urge her to go forward. A horse that moves forward can't rear, it's as simple as that."

Hinata came jogging back with the equipment Bokuto had asked for. There was a weird strap thing, apparently the _martingale_ , and the crop. Iwaizumi held Diva while Bokuto put the new tack on her.

Oikawa swallowed his pride and asked Noya, "What is that thing for?"

"The martingale? It prevents the horse from lifting its head too high. In this case it will help Bokuto keep Diva balanced and make rearing more difficult." 

Bokuto got in the saddle. Oikawa couldn't say that he knew how to read the horse's body language, but to him Diva didn't look too happy with her new passenger.

Iwaizumi came to join the audience, wiping his forehead. "She's quite a character, that mare of yours," he said to Oikawa. His face was blank but there was a hint of laughter lurking in his voice.

Oikawa dared to smile. "You don't say?"

Iwaizumi rested his arms on the fence, turning his gaze to the arena. "She needs to learn out of that rearing thing ASAP, though."

Oikawa wanted to ask if Iwaizumi could make Diva forget her bad habits, but he didn't dare. This was the first time Iwaizumi was talking to him in a positive manner – and what made it even weirder was the fact that it was after Oikawa's horse had almost thrown him off her back – but Oikawa was not going to jinx it. He just nodded, humming in approval as he, too, turned his attention to the horse and her rider.

This time Diva didn't even walk nicely in the beginning; she started her antics the second Bokuto urged her forward. Oikawa soon learned that whereas Iwaizumi had to mind his back, Bokuto was something you might call 'a reckless rider'. Unconcerned with Diva's spinning, leaping or bolting, he simply matched her every trick with a kick of his heels or an occasional slap of the crop on the horse's rump. It was a bit like watching a poor rodeo show. Only the audience didn't cheer.

"I'm clocking it," Noya said, showing his phone. "She's out of shape, so I say she'll get tired in ten minutes."

"I bet she can do fifteen," Hinata said.

It felt much longer. Oikawa wondered what it might feel for Bokuto who was on the saddle, fighting the crazy beast that was his horse, but the man didn't appear to get tired at all. He even managed to grin and shout occasionally at his viewers. The martingale seemed to be helping out and when Diva tried to stand up on her hind legs again, she only managed to jump and whirl around, frustrated. When the stubborn rider just sat in the saddle, she began bucking, but she was clearly running out of steam.

" _Aaand_... here it comes!" Noya declared as she slowed her jumping into a trot. When she tried to walk, Bokuto commanded her back to trot, turning into a big circle. Even Oikawa could see Diva giving in as she lowered her head and stretched her strides. "Eleven minutes!" Noya said triumphantly as he checked his phone. "Too bad we didn't bet on it."

Bokuto made her trot the circle for five more minutes before allowing her to walk and giving her free reins. He guided the mare towards the gate, his face split into a wide grin.

"Did you see that, Akaashi? Wasn't I great?"

"Yeah, I saw it. You did good." Akaashi's voice was placid as ever, but there was a glimmer of smile in his dark eyes. Oikawa was beginning to wonder what the relationship between the two men was. They co-owned a horse, but was there something else too? For some reason Bokuto addressed Akaashi with his last name, when he used the first name with almost everyone else.

"Damn, she's one hard bitch this one! But she gave in eventually. They all do."

"Bo thinks he's a horse whisperer," Noya snickered as Diva walked away from them. 

"I think that was awesome," Hinata said, his eyes burning with clear idol worship. "I wish I were as good as Bokuto-san."

"You'll get there if you train hard enough."

"Hmm, maybe! I wish I had my own horse to train with, though."

"I'm sure one day you'll have that too!"

Bokuto guided Diva to the gate and dismounted. The mare was horribly sweaty and still breathing heavily, her nostrils huge and her head hanging low. 

"Shouyou, you want to walk her around some more?" 

"Yes, of course! Thank you!" Hinata quickly got inside the fence and went to get the reins from Bokuto. He was apparently one of those horse enthusiasts Hitoka-chan had mentioned; the ones that were happy just to smell horses and be allowed to shovel their shit.

Iwaizumi was the first one to praise Bokuto as the man walked to them. His hair had experienced the sweaty helmet impact and was sagging in a very ridiculous manner. Why did he even bother to style his hair if the helmet was going to flatten it anyway?

"Thank you, Bo, that's how we needed to finish this session," Iwaizumi said. "Now she knows what she's dealing with in this stable. That being said, I think she needs someone softer and calmer than you. Someone closer to Akaashi's style."

"Your style is more suitable for Eule, since he's so thick-skulled," Noya added.

"Much like his owner," Akaashi remarked.

Bokuto's face fell. "Hey, Akaashi, come on! That's not nice!"

Akaashi peered at him from beneath his brows. "You disagree that your style matches Eule's?"

"No, of course not! We're the same, me and that horse."

"Watching you ride Eule is sometimes like watching a kaiju facing off a Jaeger," Noya said.

Bokuto puffed his chest out, laughing out loud. "Hah, _that_ I can believe! Well, it was a fun ride, but I think Hajime's right. She needs someone with a light hand and a lot of patience. It's not like I'd have time to train her either, but good thing that we learned today what she's like."

"I'm sorry," Oikawa offered. "I had no idea she's such an asshole."

"It's fine. You didn't know, right?" Bokuto said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "And it's not like she's the first problematic horse in this stable. You should have seen Tsar when he arrived."

"We had to keep him in a separate stable first, since he had just recently been gelded and he kept neighing – or screaming, if you've ever heard a stallion scream – and swirling around in his stall to get to mares. He also tried to pick a fight with every gelding and was horrible to handle, jumping and trying to bite and kick people. The stall didn't have bars so he learned how to open the door and escaped, eventually breaking into the feed room and hoarding too much oats. Akaashi swore he'd make basashi out of the horse himself."

Oikawa, having studied what 'gelding' meant, asked, "Are all stallions like that?"

"No, of course not, but when they are, it's quite useful that you can get their balls snipped off to make both your and the horse's life more comfortable. Tsar is still quite a handful, but he's calmed down immensely from what he was a couple of years back."

"Diva is not difficult to groom or feed or anything. She isn't as restless anymore and today she walked calmly to the paddock too," Iwaizumi said. "She just hasn't been ridden as much as I hoped she'd be."

Oikawa appreciated them trying to cheer him up, even though he still sensed that Iwaizumi regretted having agreed to take her on. But maybe they were making a little progress.

"Alright, Oikawa-san," Akaashi said in turn. "When you continue your search for the rider, try to find one with a soft style."

Oikawa made a mental note to include that in his online ad.


	5. The Potential

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update because I was fast and my beta was fast. (Cheers, Yvette!)
> 
> Thank you everyone who left a comment or kudos. Keep them coming! :)

Friday was the one day of the week when Oikawa tried to leave the office early so he would have plenty of time to do grocery shopping and spend the evening the way he wanted, whether it was watching some B class sci-fi movies or going out with his friends. Tonight it was going to be the former. Makki and Mattsun had asked him to join them in a bar, but he had said he was going to pass. The past weeks had been oddly tiring, so lying in front of the TV sounded like the best way to start his weekend.

They were renovating his regular grocery store, so he had had to go to another one, and now he was wandering between the shelves, slightly annoyed that he didn't know where everything was. The order of the products was utterly impractical. He found some snacks and picked two bags of chips for the movie night, planning to find the tea section next, when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. At first his brain refused to register it, since it was in the environment he couldn't associate it with. Then he took another look and pieces connected inside his brain. 

"I-Iwaizumi-san!"

The man turned away from the shelf after hearing his name. His clothes were quite different from the ones Oikawa was used to; dark blue jeans that looked relatively new, a dark grey fleece jacket and black sneakers. He looked at Oikawa slightly surprised. "Oh, Oikawa-san."

Oikawa waved a bit, walking to the man. "Funny bumping into you here!"

Iwaizumi cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean? This is my regular store."

"Really? It's mine too!" _I'm going to make it mine, that's for sure._ "But I thought you..." Oikawa trailed off. He really couldn't say that he had thought Iwaizumi lived in Fukurodani, slept in the hay shed, ate with the horses and never visited the city. "Never mind," he said, shaking his head. "Are you heading to the stable today?"

"Not today. It's my day off."

"You have days off too?" Oikawa blurted out before he could stop himself. What was he thinking? That Iwaizumi was married to his job? Of course he had a life outside the horses too. 

To his surprise Iwaizumi didn't give him the 'Your IQ really is lower than the average, isn't it?' look. He merely shrugged with one shoulder. "Yeah, we have arranged it so in Fukurodani. Keeps people motivated and doesn't tire anyone out too much. Mind you, Akaashi is there practically always, since he lives next door, but the rest of the staff have at least one day off per week."

"I see, sounds practical. Sorry, if this a silly question, but if Akaashi doesn't own the stable, who does then?" He had been wondering it for a while now since, to him, it seemed that Akaashi was the man in charge of everything.

"Akaashi's father, in fact. He's retired though, only visits occasionally and comes to see competitions, but he doesn't participate otherwise anymore."

"Right. So... you shopping for a weekend or?" Oikawa took a peek at Iwaizumi's basket. There were only a few items: a package of chicken, tofu, vegetables and a couple of instant ramen bowls. The amount of food looked too little for two people, so could he dare to hope that Iwaizumi was single?

The man only hummed in response.

"Me too." Oikawa felt a bit ashamed about his basket since everything unhealthy, like chips and milk bread, was on top, covering the healthy items. "Trying to buy everything for the weekend on one go, so I don't have to make several visits. Do you live near by, perhaps?"

"A couple of blocks away."

_Do you live alone?_

"Yeah, the same. Okay, maybe not a couple of blocks but like, four or five. Not that far." Oh god, they were so destined to be, living that close to each other and shopping in the same store!

Oikawa stepped aside as a lady with two kids squeezed past them in the aisle. "We're blocking the path here. Say, if you don't have anywhere to be, maybe we could... you know, grab a coffee or something? To talk more about Diva and stuff." He was mentally trying to make the idea look harmless. I'm not suggesting a date! I just want to talk about my stupid horse.

Iwaizumi hesitated. He took out his phone, probably checking the time. "Well... okay. I can't stay for long though."

"Me neither," Oikawa said. He couldn't let his groceries rot in the plastic bag while he was slurping coffee, which was probably what Iwaizumi was thinking about, too. "Just a quick coffee. I know a good place just around the corner."

They paid for their groceries and stepped out. The weather was getting warmer by the day and the wind carried a pleasant smell of spring. Oikawa led the way, pointing at the small coffee shop which he had visited a few times. It was nothing fancy, but quiet and cosy and perfect to just sit in peace and maybe read a book or a newspaper (not that he had time to do that but he had seen other customers leafing through books while sipping at their beverages). 

When they got to the counter, Oikawa faced a dilemma. Would it be too much to offer to pay for Iwaizumi's coffee? After all, he had invited the dark-haired man, but he didn't want this seem like a date, nor did he want to make Iwaizumi feel uncomfortable. The problem solved itself as the man already had his wallet out, so Oikawa simply let him order first. Iwaizumi chose a simple black coffee, no sugar, taking his cup and waiting for Oikawa to order his signature latte. The place was surprisingly crowded, but there was a vacant table in the corner by the window.

After sitting down, Iwaizumi looked out of the window absent-mindedly as he waited for his coffee to cool down. Oikawa stirred his drink with a spoon before tasting it. It wasn't as good as in his regular place, but he didn't mind. With Iwaizumi sitting opposite to him, he would have drunk mud water.

"How are things going in Fukurodani?" he asked. It had been two days since his last visit and he was already thinking he should go back soon. Maybe tomorrow or on Sunday. He vaguely registered that this hadn't been his plan when he had accepted his inheritance. He had planned to pay the stable enough money, so he could stay away from the horse and just forget about it. But that had been BIH – as in, before Iwaizumi Hajime.

"Everything's fine. Diva had a resting day after me and Bokuto riding her, and yesterday Akaashi rode her. It went a little bit better with the martingale and the knowledge of what she is like. Akaashi has a light hand which seemed to sit well with Diva. However," Iwaizumi paused to lift the cup to his lips, taking a sip. "When I say 'a little bit better', I mean it still was a pretty horrible performance. Akaashi managed to get her to canter but it was basically him driving her to trot so hard that she eventually had to strike off. It appears that she can't control her body properly in canter so Akaashi had to make very wide turns with her. It might be that her training to become a riding horse had to be put on hold when she suffered the injury. Could you still ask the previous stable, how much exactly she has been ridden? We're not making very much progress if we don't know how much we can ask from her."

"I can ask them again," Oikawa promised.

"Tomorrow I'm going to try to free jump her to see if she can or possibly even likes to do it."

"Um, what's free jumping?"

"We make a short chute with fences and the horse can jump without a rider."

"They want to do it?"

"You'd be surprised. Many horses love free jumping. Naturally they have to like jumping in general, but free jumping is a good way to find out whether a horse has the spark for it or not."

"I see." With Diva it would probably end up in a disaster again. She might jump over the chute sides and attack people or maybe break the fences by landing on them, that furry barrel.

Iwaizumi took a big gulp of his coffee, downing almost half of the cup at one go. Damn, he would probably leave right after he was done with his drink, and Oikawa still had many things to ask him. He wondered how he could guide their discussion to other things besides horses and riding.

Iwaizumi glanced outside again and then turned his head to meet Oikawa's eyes. "I assume you would have already mentioned it, had you found a rider for her."

"Yeah, sorry, so far I've gotten three replies to my ad, but two of them I dismissed right away. Too young, too inexperienced, even I could tell it. I don't want to put any underage kids in danger with my crazy-ass horse."

Iwaizumi cracked a half-smile. It was very quick but it was there. Oikawa could feel a tug on the corners of his own lips. "What about the third one?" Iwaizumi asked.

"It was... better. The person was experienced and all. The problem was that she's studying at the uni and might not have time to ride her as much as I'd like. I'm hoping to get more replies, though."

"Alright, let me know when you find a suitable candidate. Meanwhile, I might have an idea."

"You do? About the rider?"

"Yes, but I need to think about it a little and do some experiments first."

Oikawa huffed. "So that means you're not going to tell me about it now?"

"No, it was just an idea I got while lying awake in my bed."

_Did you perhaps lie awake in the bed... alone?_

"I have to see if it has any potential," Iwaizumi concluded, throwing the rest of the coffee into his throat. "Well then, I think I need to get going."

"Oh." Oikawa had barely touched his latte, but he couldn't force Iwaizumi to stay while his groceries were gradually getting warm in the plastic bag. "Yeah, I'm going to head home too." Good thing he had taken the latte in a to-go cup. He rose to his feet simultaneously with Iwaizumi and grabbed his drink and bag. As they were walking towards the door, he dared to ask, "So what do you usually do on your days off?"

"Depends. I might hit the gym, like I did today, or go jogging or just watch TV..."

To Oikawa it sounded like Iwaizumi was doing all these activities _alone._

"..or go out and meet with my non-equestrian friends. It's sometimes refreshing to talk with people who are not engaged with horses."

_Like me! I don't know anything about horses!_

"What about your family?" he asked after they had stepped outside and were about to go their separate ways. "Do you visit them?"

"My parents live in Sendai. I usually go visit them during holidays."

Oikawa couldn't believe his ears. "Really? I'm originally from Sendai too!" He had said that they were meant to be, hadn't he? "My family moved here because of my dad's work when I was a fourteen and basically we all stayed, but my grandma still lives up there along with some of my other relatives."

"I know."

Oikawa blinked. "Um... what?"

"I know you're from Sendai."

Oikawa blinked some more. What else could he have done? "Y-you do?"

"We went to the same middle school."

Okay, now Oikawa was seriously dumbfounded. When he thought about it, Iwaizumi's accent did sound quite... homely to him, but there were people from everywhere across the country in Kanto region and the dialects got mixed quite thoroughly.

"I'm not surprised you don't remember. It was a long time ago," Iwaizumi simply said, taking a better hold of his bag. "I'll see you in the stable. Are you coming this weekend?"

Oikawa fought to find his tongue again. "Y-yes, I'm coming. Maybe tomorrow or... you know, on Sunday."

"Great. See you then." And with that Iwaizumi turned on his heels and began walking down the street. Oikawa was left to stand there on the pavement, his mouth hanging open and his eyes bulging like a pug's.

_Come on! What the hell, you can't just drop a bomb like that and then walk away?! What's the matter with you, you abstruse, hot piece of ass?!_

When Iwaizumi disappeared behind a corner, Oikawa kicked himself into moving and slowly walked home. He put his groceries away, prepared himself a bowl of chips, two slices of milk bread and a cup of tea before slopping down on the couch and clicking the remote.

Yet he couldn't get his mind to concentrate on the upcoming movie night. Instead, he pulled out his phone and called Hiyori.

"Hiya, brother. What's up?"

Oikawa got straight to the point. "Hiyori, do you remember Iwaizumi Hajime from school back in Sendai?" He and Hiyori had four years of age difference but she still might know something.

"Hmm, the name does ring some bells. How old is he supposed to be?"

"Around my age."

"I remember a guy called Iwaizumi that was a year below me, but his first name wasn't Hajime. Does this Iwaizumi have an older brother?"

"He could have. I don't know."

"Mm-mh, sorry, I can't help you more. I barely remember him."

Oikawa let out a sigh. "Okay then. Never mind."

"Why are you asking?"

"Because he's the hot trainer."

"He's the one who trains your horse?" Hiyori asked, snorting right after. "Oh god, I'm never going to get used to saying that! The other day I spoke with Hana and mentioned it. You know, 'Tooru's horse something, something' and then I just stopped because my brain didn't function for half a minute."

Oikawa understood it. He, too, was still getting used to talking about his horse. "I just found out that we went to the same school."

"Oh, and you don't remember him?"

"No, I don't."

"Well, it was a big school. You couldn't have known everyone."

"Mhm, I suppose. But he remembered me."

"Baby, you were a bit of a show-off even back then. Many people knew you."

"I'm not a show-off, I'm naturally fabulous."

Hiyori chuckled. "Whatever. How's your horse, by the way?"

"She's fine. Still being a bitch, but they know how to handle her in the stable."

"Do you think Takeru could maybe come with you to the stable some time?"

"Oh, he wants to?"

"Yeah, he's been talking about how he wants to see Uncle Tooru's horse."

Oikawa felt a warm fluttering beneath his breastbone. "I need to ask Iwaizumi, but I'm sure it'll be okay. I'm going there tomorrow so if it's okay, he could join me then."

"That would be great. I actually need a babysitter for tomorrow, so I can go out with my girlfriends. I was going to ask mom and dad, but if you're willing to take him with you..."

"I'm going to ask Iwaizumi right away. I'll let you know what he says."

"Awesome, thanks, Tooru."

"Sure thing, sis."

He hung up and began texting Iwaizumi. _'Hey Iwa-chan, my nephew would like to come with me to the stable. Do you think that's okay?'_

Only after sending the message, he realized what he had called Iwaizumi. Whoops. Well, no chance to change it now.

Where the hell had that even come from? Yes, he had a tendency to add -chan into people's names, but he barely knew Iwaizumi and what he did know about the trainer, he most definitely wouldn't approve of his new nickname.

He got his answer in a minute. _'My name is not Iwa-chan. Your nephew is welcome to the stable.'_

_'Thank you! Sorry about that, I was talking with my sister and got distracted. I'll bring my nephew along tomorrow. See you then!'_

Iwaizumi didn't reply to that, but Oikawa wasn't concerned. Iwaizumi only ever texted to exchange information and not to chat. He felt a bit more at ease, picking up the remote and clicking through the channels to see if there was anything good on. No, only stupid reality shows and a boring romantic comedy. He got up and went to his movie collection, choosing a film he had yet to see, an American comedy about two nerds and an alien escaping the government agents. After putting the movie on, he slumped back on the couch and grabbed his phone again.

_'Iwaizumi said it's fine, so I'm going to come and pick Takeru up tomorrow around noon. He can stay over night so you can go and party with your friends!'_

Lowering the phone on the table, he got the plate with milk bread instead and steered his attention to the TV screen. Now he would just forget the horse and her secretive trainer for a couple of hours and concentrate on aliens. 

* * *

"Have you ridden your horse, Uncle Tooru?"

Oikawa shook his head at his nephew. "No, I haven't. I don't know how to ride, remember?"

"I thought you learned after you got the horse."

"Riding is very hard. You can't learn it over a couple of days."

Takeru nodded, taking his words into heart, and leaned back on his seat to gaze out the car window. It was another sunny day but the forecast predicted rain in the evening, prompting Oikawa to go to the stable earlier to avoid it. He had texted Iwaizumi what time they'd be there so he’d know when to schedule Diva’s free jump.

Takeru's head swirled back to Oikawa. "Can I ride?"

"Not my horse. She's very difficult to handle. We can ask if you could ride some other horse, though." Fukurodani wasn't exactly a petting zoo, but Oikawa reckoned there was at least one horse that children could ride.

Takeru looked very happy at that, bouncing a bit on his seat and swinging his legs.

When they arrived, there were only two people in the stable: Iwaizumi and Bokuto. The former was grooming Diva in her stall and the latter was sweeping the aisle. Upon seeing Oikawa and Takeru, Bokuto set the broom aside and approached them, a delighted smile stretching his lips.

"Hello Oikawa-san! Nice to see you again. And who's this big guy?" he bent down on Takeru's level to shake his hand.

Takeru wasn't usually reserved around new people, but even if he had been, Bokuto's wide grin and warm approach probably would have disarmed him immediately. "I'm Takeru."

"Hello, Takeru-chan, my name is Bokuto, but you can call me Uncle Bo. Did you come to see the horses?"

"Yes, I did!"

"Come on then. I'm gonna let you pet my horse. He's the most handsome one in this stable. But only if your... dad?" He glanced at Oikawa.

"Uncle."

"If your uncle allows it." 

Oikawa wondered if he should worry – after all Noya had compared Eule to a kaiju – but Bokuto seemed to be naturally good with children so he probably wouldn't put Takeru in danger. "Yeah, go ahead. Takeru, you can come and see Diva after that."

Bokuto offered his hand to Takeru again and the boy took it without hesitation. Oikawa kept and eye on them as Bokuto guided Takeru to Eule who was peeking through the bars with his ears pricked. Bokuto took a rope, or _lead_ as it was shortly called (Oikawa had learned that while listening to the guys talk in the stable) and opened the stall door. He tied the lead across the doorway so that Eule could peak out but not exit his stall. Alright, it seemed that the man knew what he was doing. Oikawa let them be and walked up to Diva's stall to greet Iwaizumi.

The dark-haired man seemed to have finished grooming and was bent over, holding one of Diva's forelegs in his hand and picking it with a... _hoof pick_ it was called, wasn't it? His position offered Oikawa a nice view of his ass. Since Iwaizumi apparently never wore anything saggy, his pants were yet again stretched over his well-formed buttocks. This time he couldn't see what Oikawa was staring at with his back towards the door, so Oikawa took a full advantage of it. Only Diva tried to ruin his view, craning her neck and sticking her muzzle between the bars to smell the visitor. On a whim Oikawa offered his hand for the mare. She sniffed at his fingers and tried to fumble with them. Oikawa allowed it as long as he didn't see any teeth. Her muzzle was very soft, practically silky, and he stroked it a bit with his index finger. He failed to understand how the same horse could be so peaceful in the stable but cause mayhem in the riding arena.

"How are you, you stupid lardball? Drag anyone across the yard again, eh? Or maybe you tried throw someone off your back, huh, did you, you dumb bull disguised as a horse? I really should sign you up for the Biggest Loser."

Oikawa could see Iwaizumi's form shaking just a little, but he wasn't sure if the man was laughing silently or if his back was hurting from strain.

"She's been quite calm lately," the trainer said after lowering the mare's hoof back on the floor and straightening up. "Well, apart from riding. Kuroo rode her yesterday and she almost _did_ manage to throw him off her back. Akaashi said that was the worst we've seen her yet, so it made me think..." Iwaizumi trailed off, tapping his fingers against the horse's neck before opening the door and stepping out.

"It made you think what?"

Iwaizumi seemed to be deep in his thought, worrying his lower lip and staring into nothingness. "It was just a thought, but I'd like to try something."

Oikawa waited, but the trainer said nothing. God, how frustrating! "You're not going to tell me what?"

Iwaizumi hmm'd, snapping out of his thoughts and looking Oikawa in the eyes. "I'm probably wrong, but I want to see if she accepts Noya."

"Why is that? You said she needed a light hand." Oikawa was having a hard time imagining the feisty little guy having a light approach to anything.

"Exactly. Noya has a light, very minimalist style. He needed to learn it, riding a Tersk horse that is extremely sensitive."

Oikawa was a bit confused. "Wasn't Akaashi's style light, too?"

"Yeah, it is, but there's one significant difference between Akaashi and Noya."

"And that is?"

"Their weight."

_Ooh, so she wants a rider who is light in kilograms too! What are you waiting for then? Put that midget on Diva's saddle right away once he shows up!_

"It was just a thought, you know," Iwaizumi emphasized. "It might change nothing. She still needs to learn how to be ridden."

"But you want to try it?" That meant it might work. Iwaizumi didn't seem like a person who'd come up with ideas that didn't have any reason behind them.

"I want to try it, but not today. Today we're doing some free jumping."

"But you want to do it soon?"

"Yeah. Mind you, that doesn't solve our problem, since Noya can't ride Diva regularly. He's fully concentrated on training Tsar. It might give you more criteria in the search for Diva's rider, though."

Oikawa nodded, a little disappointed. He heard Takeru giggling and Bokuto saying something to the boy and remembered that he wasn't alone in the stable today. "Do you think my nephew could ride one of your horses if someone was leading it?"

Iwaizumi scratched his chin. "I suppose that's fine. Since we don't have any ponies, I'd like to have another person there to walk beside the horse in case your nephew loses his balance. We can do it after free jumping Diva."

"That would be great. Takeru will be very happy. Thank you, Iwa-cha– Iwaizumi-san." Iwaizumi gave him a funny look, and Oikawa slapped himself mentally. What the hell was wrong with him? Why did that freaking -chan keep sneaking into his speech?

"It's no problem, Assikawa– sorry, I mean Oikawa-san."

Oikawa sneered but he supposed he had deserved that. Iwaizumi took a lead and opened Diva's door, grabbing the horse and walking her out of the stall.

"Bo, we're going to go and free jump her," he called out to his colleague. "Do you want to come and see?"

"We'll be there in a minute," Bokuto said, barely taking his attention away from Takeru. "Hey, Takeru-chan, I have some treats you can give to him."

"I don't know how to explain it to my sister if that thing eats her son's hand," Oikawa remarked as they passed by the duo in the aisle.

Bokuto laughed. "Eule's not gonna do that. He's a kitten when it comes to children. Here, I'll show you how to give them. Just open your palm like this..."

That didn't really soothe Oikawa. From his experience, kittens were vicious little beings, all claws and needle-sharp tiny teeth and a mind of the devil.

"Your nephew is safe," Iwaizumi assured him once they were outside and heading towards the arena, Diva walking tranquilly just behind the man, the loose lead swinging between them. It sure looked different from the first time Iwaizumi had taken her out. "Bokuto may seem a bit reckless, but he would never put a child in danger."

There was a chute already built in the arena. It had four colourful poles on the ground and fences on both sides. Iwaizumi closed the gate and picked up a whip that had been leaning against the fence, turning Diva towards the centre of the arena and releasing her. Oikawa would have assumed that the horse would take off immediately she noticed that she was free, but she just kept standing there next to Iwaizumi like an idiot, licking her lips and turning her ears. Horses really weren't the smartest of animals, were they?

"Alright, girl," Iwaizumi said. "Now we're going to see if there's a jumper somewhere inside of you." He laid the lead over the gate and went to grab Diva by the halter.

"Um, the fences are not very high," Oikawa pointed out.

"Of course not. We will start with trot poles." Iwaizumi yanked the horse to move, walking her through the chute and making sure she noticed every pole. On the second round he began running and forcing the mare trot too. At the beginning of the chute he let go, sending Diva continue by herself. She seemed confused at first, slowing down, but Iwaizumi ran after her, clapping his hands loudly, and she resumed trotting. She tripped on one of the poles a little, but kept going, making to the other side. Iwaizumi swung his whip, walking towards the horse and urging her to continue trotting.

"They usually get a hang of it fairly soon," he told Oikawa, driving Diva to trot around the arena and go back to the beginning of the chute. Oikawa had thought it would be impossible to make the horse go back to the chute when she was running wild in the arena, but Iwaizumi just needed to occasionally lash his whip in the air and she was back in the track. This time she trotted over the poles without touching them. Iwaizumi made her go through it the third time before allowing her to walk and roam around for a bit.

"She lifts her legs quite nicely," he commented to Oikawa as he walked to the chute and began lifting the poles, making small crossed fences. "Let's see if she can actually jump."

Let's see indeed. Oikawa leaned onto the fence, lowering his chin on his arms. He heard sounds from behind him and Takeru and Bokuto appeared by the fence.

"Is that your horse, Uncle Tooru?" Takeru asked, pointing towards the mare.

"Yep, that's her."

"She's fat."

Bokuto burst out laughing so loud that Diva spooked a bit, leaping into trot and then continuing with aimless jumping and bucking. It seemed that she had finally realized she was free.

"I know," Oikawa grunted. "We're working on it."

"Ooh, she's wild!" Takeru continued his remarks as he watched Diva bolting and running around.

"We're gonna watch Uncle Iwaizumi free jump her," Bokuto explained. 

"Oh, is he the hot trai–?"

Oikawa moved so fast that Takeru didn't have time to blink. He covered the boy's mouth with his hand, letting out the fakest laugh there was. "Now, now, what lies has your mother been feeding you again?" And then he dragged Takeru to the side to hiss into his ear. "You can't talk about that in here! That's top secret!" What the hell had Hiyori been thinking, telling an 8-year-old about his uncle's crush on another male?! He was so going to give her a piece of his mind once he returned her son tomorrow.

"Sowwy," Takeru mumbled around his hand and Oikawa removed his limb, huffing.

"That's alright. Just... don't say anything about him, okay?"

Takeru made a sign of zipping his lips. Oikawa patted his shoulder. Luckily Bokuto was one of those people you might call 'slow' on a good day (and plain dumb on a bad) so he didn't notice anything out of place and Iwaizumi still had his full attention on Diva. He was about to guide her to the chute again.

"Now, let's see what happens," Oikawa said to Takeru.

Iwaizumi drove Diva forward but she had already gotten the hang of it and didn't need much guiding. She entered the chute with a brisk trot, hesitating only a little when she saw the crossed poles in the end of it. She jumped over them, though, striking off into canter right after landing and continuing around the arena, her neck upright and her tail raised and fluttering behind her.

Bokuto whistled. "Look at her go."

She cantered back to the chute without Iwaizumi's help, this time jumping over all the poles, even the ones lying on the ground. After that she slowed down, trotting around a bit before coming up to the viewers by the fence. Iwaizumi went to lift the poles again, making three actual fences. The last one was already quite high, reaching up to his mid-thigh.

"You think she can get over that?" Oikawa asked Bokuto who had his hand held out to scratch Diva's cheek.

"We're about to find out, aren't we?" the man merely said.

_I hope you know what you're doing, Iwaizumi. If she trips over and breaks her legs..._

_..they're going to have to put her down and I'll get the money without the obligation of owning a horse._

Oikawa was surprised that the thought didn't sit well with him. Maybe it was just because without Diva he didn't have a reason to come to Fukurodani and meet up with Iwaizumi.

"The poles are loose," Bokuto told him. "If her legs hit them, they will just fall down."

Had he looked concerned? "Oh, I see. That's good."

"Right. Bo, send her here!" Iwaizumi called out to Bokuto who slapped Diva on the ass, making her bolt towards the chute once more.

Oikawa was holding his breath, his eyes glued to the mare as she trotted towards the fences. He could see her ears turn back and forth and then remaining pricked once she reached the first fence. He could see it like in a slow-motion video, the muscles in her back and hind legs bulging as she gathered them under her, pushing off from the ground, flying over the fence with 30 centimetres to spare, landing and leaping towards the next.

Not even one pole fell. The mare landed on the other side of the last fence, swishing her tail like a victory flag.

"Yes!" Iwaizumi shouted, actually fist pumping. "Yeah, that's how you do it, girl!" That was the most enthusiastic Oikawa had ever seen him. 

Bokuto was clapping. "That was awesome!"

"Again!" Iwaizumi run after the mare, waving his arms. "One more time, Diva!" The horse tossed her head, but sped up, rushing back to the beginning of the track.

"She's actually galloping now," Bokuto remarked. "Go, Diva, go!"

She galloped to the first fence, bouncing over it like it was nothing and continuing, conquering the two remaining fences with clear enthusiasm. Even Oikawa could tell she was enjoying herself, bucking and throwing her hind legs high in the air after the last fence. Iwaizumi slowed down and turned on his heels, walking to the gate. There was a wide grin pasted on his face.

"Congratulations, Oikawa-san. Your fat ex-trotter is a jumper."

His hype was contagious but Oikawa couldn't help but feel a little sceptical. Diva had jumped only a few times and the fences hadn't been that high – nothing compared to the fences in actual competitions. "You can tell only by this short session?"

"I can't tell how high she can jump but I can tell she has the spirit."

"She did jump high," Bokuto added. "She left quite a lot of air between her and the pole."

"That's inexperience," Iwaizumi said, wiping his forehead. In the background, Diva was galloping, bucking and changing directions abruptly like she was possessed. "But that also tells us that she can do it," the trainer continued. "We just have to make her do it with a rider."

"What else can your horse do, Uncle Tooru?" Takeru asked. He had been listening intently to the adults talk.

Oikawa reached his hand out to pat at Takeru's shaved head. "She can throw people off her back and rise up on her hind legs."

"Cool." Takeru looked impressed, gazing from the men to the horse that was finally slowing down her rampage. Seriously, had she been human, she would have already been on heavy medication.

"She can also hoard her oats in half a minute and then bang at her stall door to try to get more," Iwaizumi pointed out. That made Takeru giggle. "Okay then, Takeru-chan, you wanted to ride, eh?"

"Yes!"

"We have just the right horse for you. Bo, would you go and saddle Ace for our guest? Maybe let him help you a bit? I'm going to take Diva to the paddock."

"Sure thing. Come on then, Takeru-chan!" Bokuto motioned the boy to follow him back to the stable.

Oikawa waited as Iwaizumi took the lead and went to catch Diva. Despite her previous fit of madness, she allowed the man to grab her halter and walk her to the gate.

"You really think that she could be a jumper?" Oikawa asked once they were walking towards the paddock. 

"I can't say for sure, but she seems to like it, so we're going to make use of it. I'm going to make Noya try to jump with her."

"I hope he has a good insurance."

"Give Noya some credit. Your mare is not _that_ difficult."

Oikawa lowered his gaze. "Sorry."

Iwaizumi stayed quiet until he had gotten Diva in the paddock and closed the gate. Oikawa remembered he wanted to ask Iwaizumi about the middle school and Sendai thing but the moment didn't feel right at all.

Iwaizumi stood there for a while, reeling the lead around his hand and staring in front of him, his brows furrowed. "Today was a step in the right direction. Let's not dwell on what _might_ happen. Your mare has shown potential towards jumping and that's where we're going to start off."

"Hmm, I suppose you're right."

Iwaizumi finished gathering the lead and started towards the stable, nodding at him. "Come on then. Let's go and see how your nephew likes riding a horse."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that if Oikawa and the rest are all aged up, Takeru should be too, but I wanted to make him younger so here you go.
> 
> Kudos to everyone who recognized the film Oikawa was watching!


	6. The Experiment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AKA the chapter in which Iwaizumi says "again" a lot.

"You want _me_ to ride that _thing_?"

Iwaizumi adjusted Diva's saddle pad before nodding. "Yes."

Noya shrugged. "Alright. Just checking."

Oikawa wanted to say something, but he felt like this wasn't the best moment to interfere. Iwaizumi had tacked Diva up and had been waiting with her in the aisle for the unsuspecting rider to appear. 

Noya took it rather well, at least at first. He merely went to put his helmet and boots on and came back to take the reins from Iwaizumi. Whereas Bokuto and Kuroo were grinning in the background, Hinata was trying to encourage Noya by listing to him all the good sides of jumping with Oikawa's bad-tempered mare – which weren't that many. The red-haired boy was genuinely sad that he had missed Diva's free jumping session.

This time it was the whole usual gang, at least the people that Oikawa had met in Fukurodani, everyone eager to see how Diva would perform under a lighter rider. Noya wasn't too happy about it, but he submitted to his fate, walking Diva to the arena where Iwaizumi had built a few small fences. 

"If she throws me off, I'm holding you responsible," Noya muttered as he pulled the stirrups down and adjusted their length.

"Oikawa-san promised to treat us all to ramen if she did that," Iwaizumi said.

 _Whaaaat?! No, I didn't!_ He couldn't even say anything if he didn't want to look like a complete asshole. Damn, Iwaizumi was a sneaky bastard.

"I don't think a bowl of ramen will help if my back is bro– fuck, sorry, Hajime."

"It's fine. She's not going to manage to throw you off. Just remember you usually ride Tsar."

"He's doesn't try to throw me off his back."

"He did in the beginning, remember?" Kuroo remarked, wide grin splitting his handsome face. He was a grinner, Oikawa had noticed. "You spent more time rolling around in the sand than in the saddle."

Noya muttered something incomprehensible and pulled the girth on tight before adjusting his boot to the stirrup and pulling himself onto the horse's back. Diva tensed up and lifted her head, backing a few steps, no change in that. Oikawa reckoned she just didn't like to be ridden.

Noya adjusted his position, grimacing with disapproval. "Urgh, she's so wide. My groin is gonna tear!"

Iwaizumi dismissed Noya's complaints. "It will do you only good to ride other horses besides Tsar every once in a while."

"Come on, I ride other horses too! I rode Ace the other day."

"Ace doesn't count. He's like riding a rocking chair!" Kuroo called out, making Bokuto laugh.

"Shut up." Noya scrunched up his face, taking a better hold of the reins and urging Diva to walk. 

Hinata who was standing next to Oikawa was peering at the horse and her rider intently. "What does she feel like, Noya?"

"Very tense. She's like, already planning how and when to throw me off."

Iwaizumi walked to the middle of the arena, observing Diva. "She's not that tense anymore. Stop anticipating a disaster. You should know that if you do..."

"The horse will sense it and it will most likely happen, yeah, yeah, I know," Noya said, sighing. "Alright then, let's do this so I get to riding Tsar too."

Iwaizumi nodded. "Let's try some stops first. Keep the reins long but hold her back with your seat."

"She's a trotter. Don't trotters usually understand more of what happens in their mouth than on their back?"

Iwaizumi ignored Noya's remark. "Try stopping her with just your seat."

"Is that true?" Oikawa asked Akaashi who, along with Hinata, had mostly been watching the show silently. 

Before Akaashi had time to answer, Kuroo spoke, "Not necessarily. They might be in the beginning, but all the aids used on horses make use of their natural responses to pressure. That means that they naturally move away from the pressure and tightening your seat in the saddle feels to the horse like you're going against their movement, making them slow down. Noya knows it too. He's just being a smartass."

Oikawa felt enlightened. He had assumed that horses were taught all the commands like a dog.

"Ex-trotters are not usually very sensitive in the mouth, though, Noya has a point in that," Akaashi said. "Diva could be the exception to the rule."

Noya was leaning back and sitting tight in the saddle, Oikawa could see it too. Diva had her ears turned back, not in angry manner, but like she was listening to what happened behind her head. Maybe she actually was. Her steps slowed down gradually, but she still walked a good five metres before stopping. 

"Good," Iwaizumi commented. "Now back to walk. No legs, just seating."

"I feel like I'm in the beginners' lesson," Noya pouted. 

"Stop complaining and concentrate!" Bokuto hollered at him.

Iwaizumi was walking in a small circle in the centre of the arena, his hands in his pockets. "Make stops every quarter round."

Noya did. After three stops Diva was getting the hang of it and stopped faster, taking only two or three extra steps. Iwaizumi looked quite pleased. "Okay, gather the reins but hold them rather loose. We're going to try some trotting."

"Posting or?"

"Sitting. I want you to slow her back to walk just with your seat."

Oikawa wanted to ask what posting was, but he kept his mouth shut, assuming he'd learn it sooner or later. Noya urged Diva to trot and she obeyed.

"Gaah, she has a horrible trot!" came Noya's next complaint.

Bokuto snickered. "That's true."

Hinata pulled away from the fence he had been leaning on to look at Bokuto. "She does? But you sat there like it was no problem!"

"Yeah, well..." Bokuto shrugged in a nonchalant way but he was visibly pleased with himself. "I've ridden quite a few horses with a bouncy trot in my lifetime."

Hinata was looking up to the man with awe. Oikawa could see Kuroo and Akaashi exchange tell-tale glances.

Noya was whining. "My balls will bruise!"

"Sit on your ass, not your balls," Iwaizumi told the poor guy. "Now, slow her down. Back to walk."

Noya sat tighter in the saddle and Diva slowed her stride, but not enough. Her head was up high again, making her back hollow.

"She runs like an elk," Akaashi said. "Iwaizumi has his work cut out for him."

"If she doesn't obey your seat, tighten the reins a little bit. Just a little. When she reacts, yield immediately," Iwaizumi instructed Noya.

Noya pulled the reins back a little. Diva slowed some more, but she still trotted almost ten metres before dropping to walk.

Apparently Iwaizumi was pleased even though to Oikawa it looked like they weren't making any progress. "Good. Again."

They made several stops and transitions before Iwaizumi went to drag four poles beside the track. "On the next round, go over these."

Noya guided Diva to the poles. She slowed down after noticing them and her steps were a little off, one of her hooves hitting a pole, which resulted in her jumping over the last one with an exaggerated leap. Noya swayed back and forth in the saddle before finding his balance.

"Again!" Iwaizumi commanded. "And this time help her find the rhythm! That's not how you ride Tsar, is it?!"

"I'm starting to remember why I don't train under Hajime," Noya complained at the audience as he rode by.

Bokuto smirked. "Yeah, Akaashi doesn't yell like that."

"Hajime's right, though," Akaashi said. "Light riding doesn't mean you should just sit in the saddle like a dummy."

Noya and Diva made it back to the beginning of the poles. This time Noya did something which Oikawa couldn't really see but it made Diva lengthen her stride and she managed to trot over the poles without touching them.

"Better!" Iwaizumi commented. "Again!"

The third, also successful, round seemed to satisfy Iwaizumi as he told Noya to change directions and walk for a bit while he went to adjust one of the fences. He placed a pole on the ground in front of it and lifted the crossed poles in the fence a bit.

"Noya, I wonder if you've noticed something," he said once he was done and was observing the fence from afar.

Noya was scratching his forehead under his helmet. "What?"

"She hasn't even once tried to throw you off."

The small guy looked genuinely surprised, as if he'd been so thoroughly concentrating on keeping his balls unbruised or his ass in the saddle that he had forgotten to anticipate a rodeo scene. He peered down at the mare beneath him, his mouth forming a perfect 'O'.

Iwaizumi's smile was visible to the viewers by the fence. "Come on, give her a pat, she won't break."

Noya leaned down, patting Diva's neck. "Good horsy, thank you for not trying to throw me off. Shall we make a deal? You won't try it in the future and I won't use my crop on you, huh, what do you say?"

"She likes Noya," Bokuto commented. "Or at least she doesn't mind him. It seems that Hajime's weight theory was correct."

"She's quite inexperienced in riding, so a heavier rider is probably affecting her balance too much at this point. I'm sure the situation will change when she gains more muscle and confidence," Akaashi said.

"So I need to make yet another note in my ad?" Oikawa asked. "'Must weigh under 60 kilograms, because my delicate princess of a horse won't accept a heavier load'?"

Bokuto and Kuroo laughed. "Yes, something like that!"

"Or you could just say that your horse has a weak back and she needs a light rider," Akaashi offered.

Oikawa couldn't help but groan in frustration. How could one horse be such a pain in the ass? He had gotten a few more replies to his ad but none of the candidates had given away the right feeling. But time was running short – or maybe not time, but Iwaizumi's and the others' patience – so he needed to make his decision quick.

His attention was drawn back to the arena as Iwaizumi told Noya to gather the reins and get Diva trotting again.

"I want you to trot along that long side until the end, make a careful turn and ride to the fence. Don't let her speed up too much."

Noya did as instructed. Oikawa noticed that once he was turning towards the fence, everyone was as silent as a grave, watching intently and maybe even holding their breaths (he knew he was). Nearing the fence, Diva lifted her head as if this was the first time she saw it, realizing they were heading towards it and she was expected to jump.

She made it over the pole on the ground... and then she bounced to the side, her head almost colliding with one of the posts holding the crossed poles. She spun around on her hind legs and began trotting sideways, tossing her head and swishing her tail.

"Calm down, light hand! Light hand!" Iwaizumi was shouting at Noya. "You were hesitating so she didn't jump. Again! Back to trotting, make a circle in the end and head to the fence."

Oikawa groaned and turned around, leaning his back against the fence. "I can't watch this."

"This is normal," Kuroo remarked. "Every horse does that once in a while. Noya wasn't prepared to jump and she sensed it so she refused."

Even so, Oikawa didn't want to witness Noya possibly falling down on the fence. He kept his back to the arena, only hearing his horse's heavy steps as she supposedly made the circle Iwaizumi had instructed. The dark-haired trainer wasn't done with his yelling yet.

"Balance! Outside rein, inside leg! Another circle! Make her listen to you!"

"Was Iwaizumi perhaps in the army?" Oikawa asked Bokuto.

"Haha! No, I don't think so. He just gets very intense when he's training. It's very effective though."

Oikawa could only imagine. He wouldn't have liked to sit in the saddle and listen to the hot-headed trainer shout at him. However, on some different occasion that commanding tone could have been rather interesting...

"Look at the fence! Look at the fucking fence! Chin up! Go!" 

Then there was silence apart from Diva's hooves hitting the ground. Oikawa was still refusing to look at the arena, but he kept an eye on his co-watchers reactions. When Hinata let out a gasp and Bokuto and Kuroo began clapping, he dared to spin around.

Diva was galloping towards the other end of the arena. Her head was again as high as the martingale would allow it and her moving looked very unbalanced, but there was a clear trail of hoof tracks to the fence and after it.

"She jumped?" he checked.

"She jumped," Bokuto confirmed, smiling widely. "It wasn't really balanced or anything but she jumped."

Iwaizumi still was barking his favourite word at poor Noya. "Again! Back to the trot, another circle and then jump."

This time Oikawa watched. There was a slight change in the way Diva was moving. She tried to speed up quite a few times, forcing Noya to turn her into another circle in order to maintain the leadership and making Iwaizumi scold the guy about keeping his aids light. And then the duo was heading towards the fence again.

"She likes it!" Hinata said, his voice thrilled.

"She likes it," Akaashi seconded.

"Slow down!" Iwaizumi yelled. "The fence is like 30 centimetres! She doesn't need to rush to it!"

His instructions were futile, as Diva was already preparing to jump. And jump she did.

"Is she stupid or blind or what?" Oikawa was forced to ask as they witnessed his horse bouncing over the small fence like it was the Great Wall of China.

"Horses jump blind, you know," Kuroo said. "The obstacle disappears from their sight just before they're about to take off. They have to estimate the distance and the height of the obstacle beforehand and rely on the rider to tell them when to jump. But in Diva's case I'd say that's just inexperience."

Iwaizumi was walking around in small circle, kicking the sand. "Alright, that was better. Let's try that oxer next. Again, make a circle first. The oxer is a bit higher so if she wants to gallop, let her."

Noya huffed and shook his head before turning into another circle and adjusting the reins in his hands.

"Eyes on the fence already! Focus! Go!"

She leaped towards the fence, speeding up like a madman, her head up high, nostrils flaring and ears pricked. Noya was trying to make her slow down but it was pretty much useless as she struck off into gallop, jumping too early but somehow – because of another ridiculously big jump – making it to the other side without touching the poles. After the fence she threw her hind legs in the air while bouncing forward in a way that, to Oikawa, looked very uncomfortable and dangerous. But Noya managed to stay in the saddle, leaning back and pulling the reins as he tried to get the crazy animal to slow down.

"Wow, she's really enjoying herself," Bokuto laughed. "Poor Noya, that must remind him of the way Tsar was in the beginning."

"Alright, slow down to trot and then to walk," Iwaizumi said.

"Sensitive mouth, my ass," Noya was grousing as he finally got Diva to walk. She didn't want to walk though, attempting to take off a few times and making Noya curse under his breath. "She needs a curb bit!"

"She just got too excited!" Kuroo shouted at him.

Iwaizumi was scanning Noya and Diva with a critical eye. "I want you to jump that cross rail again, but get her to calm down first."

"I think she'll get a heart attack, she's panting so hard," Noya remarked. True enough, the mare was puffing like she had run a marathon, her neck was darkening with sweat and her chest and forelegs had foam on them.

Iwaizumi wasn't fazed. "She can do one more."

She could alright. Noya managed to get her into controllable trot again, leading her to the crossed poles. She was still enthusiastic but this time her jump wasn't so out of proportion and Noya got her under control after it more quickly.

"Much better. Now, free reins and let her walk," Iwaizumi merely said, leaving the horse and her rider wander around the arena as he walked up to the gate.

"That was much better," Akaashi commented. "First, she didn't try to rear. Second, she didn't try to throw Noya off."

Iwaizumi was smiling a little. "I think she just forgot, because she was so hyped about jumping. She still needs a lot of work, but I think we made progress today."

"Aargh, my ass," Noya groaned, freeing his feet from the stirrups and stretching his legs. "I won't be able to sit for a week!"

Iwaizumi snorted. "He can be such a baby." He slipped out of the arena, stopping briefly to look at Oikawa. "Your mare is a jumper. We would be stupid not to take advantage of it."

"By all means, do take advantage of it." _Yes, I know. There's still the pressuring issue of the rider._

Iwaizumi didn't mention the rider even though he was probably thinking about it. He turned his gaze from Oikawa to Akaashi. "Noya can untack her and take her to the paddock. I'm going to go and saddle Sorbet."

Bokuto started after him. "I'm gonna tack Eule up too." And then they were off. Oikawa wondered if he should follow them, but maybe he was expected to stay with his horse.

"Um, Akaashi-san," Hinata peeped, making the taller man glance at him. "Do you think I could jump with Ace today? Just a little bit?"

Akaashi hummed. "I suppose it's fine. You need to go to the back arena though since Kou and Hajime are going to ride here after Noya. Or you could accompany Noya and Tsar in the forest. There are a few log fences along the usual trail."

Hinata's expression brightened. "Yes! I can do that!"

Hinata left for the paddocks to fetch Ace and Akaashi headed to his office. Oikawa was left with Kuroo, watching Noya cool down Diva. He noticed that he, too, had been sweating like a pig. God, he had been so stressed and so worried about Diva killing Noya or something. Luckily he was wearing a jacket over his shirt to cover any stains in his armpits, but he was so going to give a piece of his mind to the manufacturers of his new deodorant. The damn product had done nothing to keep his armpits dry and he wasn't a sweaty person in general!

Kuroo was watching Noya and Diva silently, but when Oikawa glanced at him, he flashed him a grin. "Quite a show, huh?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I'm not an expert but... it looked better than before."

"It was better. You should have seen me riding her. I think we were the worst match ever. I'm glad Hajime wasn't there to shout at me."

Oikawa felt something weird churn in his stomach; something that forced a stupid smile onto his face. "He can be quite... demanding, it appears."

"When you're good, you're allowed to be."

"He trains you too? You and your horse... Cow, was it?"

"Yeah. Sometimes him, sometimes Akaashi," Kuroo said. Oikawa wasn't sure if he liked the sly, observant smirk on Kuroo's face. "You've got it bad, don't ya, mate?"

Oikawa narrowed his eyes at the man. "What?"

Kuroo nodded towards the stable. "For Hajime."

 _Fucking blush, don't you dare come near my face!_

Pretending that his heart wasn't beating any faster than normal, Oikawa leaned against the fence. "I don't know what you're talking about." _What the hell, honestly? I've met the guy twice and he can already tell._

He thought he had been keeping himself in check – apart from occasional crotch staring, but Kuroo hadn't been there to witness it.

Kuroo chuckled, making Oikawa scowl at him. "He's single at the moment, for what I know. I don't think you're his type, though, but then again, I don't really know what his type is. I don't even know if he prefers guys."

_Why even mention it then?_

Kuroo paid no mind to Oikawa's disapproving faces, continuing, "He's not one to babble about his relationships. If he even has them. He probably just thinks he's too cool for that stuff."

Oikawa pressed his lips together, refusing to react to Kuroo's words.

"So, Oikawa-san," Kuroo continued, his voice casual. "Would you perhaps like to come to our spring party?"

Forgetting his annoyance, Oikawa glanced up, surprised. "You're having a party?"

"Yeah, it's kind of a tradition. We celebrate the beginning of the competing season. This year it'll be at my place."

"And... everyone is coming?" _Is Iwaizumi coming?_

"Yeah, everyone tries to make it every year. It's nothing fancy though, just some of us getting drunk, others staying sober and all of us playing games, talking shit and sometimes watching bad movies. So... wanna join us?"

"If you don't mind me coming."

"Of course not. It'll be fun. I'd ask you to bring your significant other too, but I suppose you're single and wish to spend the party... _courting_ Hajime."

 _You're not wrong there, Kuroo Tetsurou._ Oikawa just hoped he would shut up before he blurted out something in front of the others. 

"But I'm really not part of your gang, so what will the others think if I show up?"

"They won't mind either. Your horse is now part of our team and while she might not be able to compete this summer, who knows how far she will get? We have another newcomer this year, so you wouldn't be the only one entering the party for the first time."

"Who is that?"

"Shouyou."

Oh yeah, he probably would have guessed that if he had thought for a moment longer.

"If you're absolutely sure, Kuroo-san..."

"Call me Kuroo. And of course I am. There will be some of our equestrian friends from other stables too, so it's not a private gathering or anything."

"Then I'll be there. When is it?"

"Next Saturday."

"Alright, got it."

Oikawa turned back to the arena, leaning his chin into his arms and watching as Noya turned Diva to the centre, unmounting the mare and pulling the reins from over her head. A small smile was tugging at the corners of his lips.

_Iwaizumi Hajime, just you wait. I'm coming for you._


	7. The Party, pt. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you'll have as fun reading this chapter as I had writing it. :´D

_'Hitoka-chan, I need your help!'_

It took Hitoka almost half a minute to answer his text and all the while, Oikawa was chewing on his fingernails and walking nervously around his bedroom. When his phone finally beeped, he leaped for it, quickly opening the message.

_'What can I do for you, Tooru-san?'_

Aargh, she still refused to drop the -san!

_'The party is tonight and I don't know what to wear! Please come here and help me!' Meaning, discard all of your plans for tonight and dash here to assist me._

_'I'm sorry, Tooru-san, I'm out of town at the moment.'_

No! Nooooooo! Oikawa let out a frustrated wail, slumping face down onto his bed which was already filled with clothes. He had pulled out almost every piece of clothing he owned in his growing state of panic, but none of them seemed fit for tonight. He really should have gone shopping or pinched a few items from Aoba Johsai's stock.

His phone beeped again.

_'But you can send me pictures of your possible outfits and I'll let you know what I think, if that's okay?'_

Yes! Yes, that's what he was going to do. God bless modern technology! Oikawa pushed all the clothes aside to make a clean space on the bed and selected his first option – beige khaki pants and a light blue polo shirt – before laying them down on the bed and snapping a picture.

_'This is option one.'_ He sent the picture to Hitoka and began sorting out his next option: a black button-up shirt and dark blue jeans that doubled as slimming and flattering. _'This is option two.'_

_'Do you have anything more casual for the top?'_

Of course he did. He rummaged through the pile of clothes and pulled out his favourite shirt – one he could never wear at work. He laid it down on the blanket and took a picture, sending it over to Hitoka. _'I have this!'_

_'Um, I don't know... but if it's just a party amongst friends, that could do. I mean, you want to show Iwaizumi some of your personality, so for that the shirt would work quite nicely.'_

Victorious, Oikawa took the shirt and pulled it over his head, turning to look himself in the mirror at his closet door. The shirt was black with a little green alien head printed on the chest. The khakis wouldn't work with it, so he chose the jeans, pulling them on too before snapping a picture of his whole outfit and sending it to his queer dear.

_'Just ignore the hair, I haven't gotten to it yet.'_

_'Yes, that looks nice!'_

_'Great! Thank you, Hitoka-chan!'_ Content, Oikawa placed his phone on the night stand and began shoving his clothes back to the closet. He wasn't really expecting to bring a guest to his place after the party, but you never knew, so in case he got lucky, he didn't want his apartment looking like a hurricane had hit it.

His phone beeped yet again. _'And your hair is fine too!'_

Oikawa almost answered with a snarky comment ('No, it's horrible, are you blind?') but then he decided there was nothing wrong with Hitoka-chan's eyesight – she was just being her usual polite self. After cleaning his bedroom, he went to the bathroom to style his hair in the usual way and check that his reflection was acceptable. Ugh, it seemed that he was about to get a pimple in his chin; a punishment from eating unhealthy stuff last weekend. Today probably wouldn't be any better. He applied some of his most effective anti-pimple cream on it, hoping it would work its magic before he had a huge abscess invading his chin. 

Apart from the wannabe-pimple, he looked pretty good. The shirt gave away a nice, casual look but the jeans indicated that he had actually paid some attention to his clothing, and anyone with the slightest knowledge of fashion could see that they were from Ralph Lauren's winter collection. If Iwaizumi didn't take a double look on him and realize that he was an amazing catch, well, it was his loss. (That didn't mean Oikawa would give up on him, no sir, but Iwaizumi realizing it on his own would make the whole thing easier.)

He took his phone and keys and a plastic bag containing a bottle of umeshu before slipping his feet into his sneakers and grabbing his jacket. Kuroo had said that the party would start at six and it was already half past, but really, only losers showed up to the party in time. Besides, Oikawa didn't want to be one of the first guests arriving, in case there were only people he didn't know.

Kuroo lived quite far from him, and he had to take two trains to get there. He was standing in front of Kuroo's door just before seven.

The door was opened by a guy Oikawa didn't know. He was quite short and young-looking, with two-toned hair – or horrible roots, to be specific; that hair should have been dyed a _year_ ago – and a bored expression on his face.

"Um, sorry, is this Kuroo's place?" Oikawa asked, wondering why he hadn't checked the name plate on the door. He could hear some cheerful chattering and laughing from inside so even if he had gotten the wrong apartment, there seemed to be a party going on.

"Yes, it is. Come in." The guy stepped aside, allowing Oikawa to enter the flat. He didn't wait for the guest to take off his shoes, wandering further in the apartment and calling out, "Kuro, another guest!" Oikawa got the impression that he wasn't the most enthusiastic partier.

The black mess of hair peaked from behind a corner. "Oikawa-san, it's you, great! Get in! We've got _beeeeer_! Lots and lots of _beeeeer!_ "

Another head poked out, this one with protruding grey and black spikes. "Hey, hey, it's Oikawa-san! Awesome, come here and have a drink!"

Great, judging by the overly joyful tone, both Kuroo and Bokuto had had their fair share of drinks already. Oikawa waved at them a little, setting his shoes aside and taking a look at the apartment. It was bigger than his, which he found a little surprising since Kuroo didn't give out an impression of having much money. But maybe he didn't live alone. Not wanting to come out too curious, he merely walked to the room which Kuroo's and Bokuto's heads had disappeared into and found himself in a kitchen. Already there were a few other guests, sitting around a small table and helping to prepare snacks or just sipping their drinks. Oikawa recognized Hinata who waved at him with a wide grin on his face, then there was a tall, grey-haired guy who had to be only half-Japanese and... 

"Kageyama?" Oikawa blurted out.

The black-haired guy stared at him with mixed expression of shock and disapproval. "Oikawa?"

_What the hell are you doing here, you little vermin?_

Hinata was surprised, his eyes flipping from Oikawa to the guy Oikawa would rather not have appeared in his life anymore. "You two know each other?"

Oikawa was the first one to snap out of the stare lock. "We went to the same high school," he muttered. "And played in the same volleyball team."

"I didn't know you had played volleyball," Bokuto said, oblivious to the hostile atmosphere hanging over the table. "That's really cool!"

Kageyama was glaring at Oikawa like he had vomited in his hair. Oikawa sent a message to him with his eyes: 'The feeling is mutual, brat'. Never mind that Kageyama was already 26 or something, he would always be a brat to Oikawa. Besides, he looked almost the same than in high school, only a little more mature with broader shoulders and more angular face. The gaze in his dark eyes was the same, as was the hateful glare towards Oikawa.

Oikawa took a deep breath, calming his nerves. He was here to get to know Iwaizumi better and have a good time, not to invoke an old enemy. He couldn't start acting like a teenager with a grudge.

"Yeah, well, that was then," he said, shrugging, and turned to Kuroo. "You said you had beer?" He didn't even like beer per se, usually sticking to cocktails or wine, but he suddenly felt like he needed alcohol and any type would do.

"Yes, definitely! We also have punch, would you like to taste it?"

"Don't taste it, it's horrible!" warned the grey-haired guy sitting next to Hinata.

"Bullshit, it's awesome!" Bokuto declared. 

"Why aren't you drinking it then?" came a voice from the door and Akaashi stepped in the room, followed by the guy who had opened the door to Oikawa. "Hello, Oikawa-san."

"Hi, Akaashi-san." Where was Iwaizumi? Oikawa felt a small uneasiness setting into his stomach. Would Iwaizumi not make it to the party?

Bokuto pouted. "You know I don't like sweet stuff, Keiji."

"That stuff is not sweet!" the grey-haired guy exclaimed.

"It tastes like the bottom of Hell! With extra bile!" Hinata added.

Okay, now Oikawa was getting curious. What had the guys put in it to make it so repulsive?

"Hey, dumb and dumber," Akaashi commented. "Have you made any introductions?"

"Whoops, not yet! Sorry, Oikawa-san," Kuroo scratched sheepishly his neck, but Bokuto was already on it.

"This one here is Lev," he said, pointing at the grey-haired guy. "Shouyou you know and apparently Kageyama too. Then there's Kenma."

The bored-looking guy nodded at him. "Hi."

"This is everybody?" Oikawa checked, trying not to sound disappointed.

" _Nooooo_ , a few more people should be coming," Kuroo said. "Hajime is a bit late, because we asked him to go and buy more beer after the punch turned out... not so good. Noya should be on his way too."

"Yaku-chan was here too," said Lev. "He just went to fetch Noya since he doesn't know how to get here."

"Oikawa doesn't know Yaku," Akaashi said.

Lev was smiling. "Don't worry, you'll meet him soon enough!"

"Now, Oikawa-san." Kuroo came to stand next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Would you like a beer or perhaps you're brave enough to taste our punch?"

"Sure, why not?" He wanted to know what the fuss was all about.

Kuroo grinned, turning around to scoop some punch into a glass. The drink mix was orange in colour and had ice cubes and slices of lime swimming in it.

Oikawa sniffed at the glass and was faced with a bitter and burning herbal smell. "What's in it?"

"Um," Bokuto pointed at a selection of bottles on the kitchen counter. "These and some juice."

"You combined Fernet Branca with sake and juice? What kind of juice?"

"Hmm, we only had pear juice so..." 

Oikawa took a small sip. First he tasted overly sweet pear but it was quickly overwhelmed by a horrible, bitter taste. It felt like the liquid was going to burn his taste buds off. There was way too little blend compared to the amount of booze. He swallowed quickly and almost gagged. Everyone in the room was observing his reaction, and Hinata and Lev burst out in laughter once they saw his face twitch with disgust.

Blinking the moisture out of his eyes, he set the glass on the counter. "Sorry, I'm going to pass."

Bokuto and Kuroo looked disappointed. "I hope at least Noya will appreciate our punch making skills."

"You don't have any," Akaashi deadpanned. "Oikawa-san, have a beer or there's some wine in fridge, if you prefer it."

"Akaashi is a dandy who only drinks wine," Kuroo explained.

"Akaashi wouldn't drink beer even if it was the only beverage left on Earth," Bokuto continued.

"You're sleeping on the couch tonight," Akaashi said, making Bokuto gape in horror.

"What? Why? I didn't say anything bad!"

"You didn't defend me."

Oh. _Oh!_ Oikawa tried to keep his face in check but was he reading the setting correctly? Did Akaashi and Bokuto perhaps have something going on? Or more accurately, did they spend nights together? Ooh, this was interesting! The two men were like polar opposites. He would have imagined Akaashi dating someone much calmer and more intellectual.

"A glass of wine would be perfect," he said, keeping his voice neutral. "Thank you, Akaashi-san."

Kuroo pulled the fridge door open, revealing three bottles of wine. "Help yourself, Oikawa-san. That applies for the whole night."

"Actually, I brought something to drink too," Oikawa said, taking the umeshu bottle out. "I don't know if anyone here likes it but..." 

Hinata shot out his hand. "Ooh, I like it!"

"Me too!" Lev announced.

"Go ahead then." Oikawa handed them the bottle before turning back to fridge. He preferred wines anyway. He chose a bottle of white wine and poured himself a glass, while Bokuto was trying to coax Akaashi to take back his order. It was weird meeting all the guys and not having everyone and everything smell like horses. Oikawa could smell their deodorants, aftershaves and hair gels (mostly Bokuto's). He wondered what Iwaizumi would smell like up close.

The doorbell rang and this time Kuroo bolted to get the door. Oikawa tasted the wine while leaning back against the counter and trying to look anywhere but Kageyama's direction. He had a feeling that the black-haired guy was very much trying to avoid him too. Hopefully the brat wouldn't stay at the party for very long.

"Should we take the snacks and drinks to living room?" Bokuto suggested after coming into some sort of consensus with Akaashi about his sleeping quarters for the night. "It's much nicer to sit there."

Everyone picked a bowl or bottle and carried it to the living room. It had a big couch and an arm chair and a real _bean bag_. Oikawa resisted commenting on it. It wasn't like the furnishing of the apartment was very modern or matching otherwise, with the couch being dark red but the arm chair having brown leather upholstery. The curtains looked like they were made out of old sheets. Oikawa took note of where Kageyama sat so they wouldn't end up next to each other. Kageyama apparently had the same thought, as he invaded the spot on the couch beside the armrest and Hinata flopped down next to him. Oikawa then took possession of the armchair, the leather squeaking as he sat down. Sitting in an armchair meant that he wouldn't be sitting next to Iwaizumi – or squeezed against him – but hopefully there would be other occasions to get physically close to the man.

Just as they had made themselves comfortable, Noya appeared in the doorway. "Hi, guys!"

"Hiya, mate, come on in!" Bokuto motioned at the guy and Noya obeyed, occupying a spot in the couch beside Hinata and unpacking a plastic bag he had been carrying. It seemed to have started to rain, since his hair was wet and he shook his head carelessly, splattering droplets everywhere. He had brought some chips and there was beer too. There was a short guy with light brown hair following him, waving his hand as a greeting.

"Yaku-chan!" Lev called out and patted the couch next to him. "Come here, I saved you a spot!"

Another figure appeared in the doorframe. "Here's the fucking beer. Where do you want me to put it?"

Oikawa froze at the recognition of the voice before his eyes identified the person. It was mostly because Iwaizumi was wearing a hooded jacket and he had the hood pulled over his head. The top of the jacket was soaked. Kuroo took the bag from his, allowing him to discard his wet jacket and expose quite a tight grey t-shirt underneath it.

_Okay, no need to get nervous. You see him constantly. Tonight isn't any different._

But... it was a bit different because tonight they would get drunk and everybody knew people did stupid things while drunk.

"Hajime! You should totally taste our punch," Bokuto suggested immediately. Behind him Akaashi was shaking his head at Iwaizumi.

"What did you put in it?"

"It's a surprise," Kuroo said as he came back from kitchen. "Here, I poured you a glass. Noya should try it too. It's, like, punch that only the strongest men can drink."

"That's the worst pitch I've heard," Akaashi muttered.

Iwaizumi merely took the glass and downed its content on one go. He did wince a bit, but didn't gag. When he shoved the empty glass back to Kuroo, the whole living room broke into applaud.

"Wow! Way to go, Hajime!" 

"That was heroic!"

"Hey, I want to taste too!" Noya announced.

"Do you perhaps want some more?" Kuroo asked Iwaizumi.

"Absolutely not. I'll stick to the beer from now on."

"Pour a glass for Noya!" Bokuto urged. "And Yaku too!"

"I'll pass," the short man said.

Kuroo went to fetch a glass for Noya, promising to bring some beer too. The last guests looked around the living room, searching for a spot to sit. The bean bag was still free and two small people could squeeze onto the couch.

"Hello, I don't think we've met," said the light-haired guy, offering his hand to Oikawa. "I'm Yaku Morisuke."

"Oikawa Tooru, nice to meet you."

"You too." After that Yaku sat down on the couch next to Lev as Kuroo came back from kitchen, carrying Noya's drink and three bottles of beer. He placed them on the coffee table and turned back towards the kitchen. "I'm gonna get more beer and a couple of chairs."

Bokuto leaped to his feet. "Hold on, I'm gonna help you." It seemed like Bokuto was the second-in-command of the party even though he didn't even live in the flat. At least Oikawa assumed he didn't live there, if he was already living with Akaashi. Or just sleeping with him. Or something.

"No need to bring chairs, I'll just sit on the floor," Iwaizumi said, sitting down too far from Oikawa.

"The bean bag is free," Lev noted.

Iwaizumi looked at him with a deep frown. "I'd rather drink more of that revolting punch than sit in a bean bag."

"Then I'll claim it!" Noya said, diving into the bag headfirst and wrestling with it before finding an acceptable position. "Please hand me my drink, Shouyou."

Hinata passed the punch glass over to Noya who took a sniff of it and immediately pulled his head back. "Whoa, shit! That smells like... I can't even describe it!"

"Come on, taste it," Oikawa urged, slowly becoming more comfortable with the half-strange lot.

Noya was eyeing him with suspicion. "Is it better to taste or just down it on one go?" 

"If you just taste, you won't be able to drink more," Hinata told him.

"Then I'm gonna just..." Noya took a deep breath before lifting the glass to his lips and tilting his head back. He managed to swallow twice before an unhealthy gurgling sound emerged from his throat and he shoved the glass away, slamming a hand over his mouth. He was clearly fighting to keep the punch in his mouth.

"Don't puke on the carpet," Kenma commented, his voice as passive as ever.

With great effort, Noya managed to push the liquid down but he spent the next seconds panting and wiping his eyes. "Water, quick! My taste buds are dying!"

Hinata scurried to the kitchen, bringing back a glass of water which Noya gulped down in one go. He wiped his mouth, looking like someone had offended his mother. "What the hell did you put in that? Gasoline? Drain opener?" He placed the glass onto the coffee table and slumped back into the bean bag.

"That stuff could be used for torturing," Lev said.

"This is the last time Kuroo and Kou will be in charge of punch," Akaashi promised.

"It's not _that_ bad!" came a shout from the kitchen, making everyone snicker.

"So... are you all equestrians or?" Oikawa asked.

"I'm not," Kenma said.

"Kageyama isn't either," Hinata spoke for the brat. He had been sitting quietly, a bottle of beer in his hands and looking like he had been hit by a flock of diarrheaing seagulls. Why was he even here, if he wasn't an equestrian?

"I am and Yaku-chan is too," Lev said. "Kuroo used to have Cow in our stable, but then he moved here and wanted to have her closer to his new home so he took her to Fukurodani."

"But... Fukurodani isn't very close to here," Oikawa said.

Yaku nodded. "No, but Nekoma is, like, 50 kilometres away."

"Oh, I see. You've come a long way for the party."

"Yep. Therefore we're hoping to spend the night, if our hosts are generous enough," Lev said not so subtly, glancing in Kenma's direction. Yet another piece fell into the puzzle in Oikawa's head.

He pointed at the bored-looking guy. "Wait, you live here too?"

Kenma nodded. "Yeah."

Oikawa wanted to ask if he and Kuroo lived together as roommates or something more, but didn't dare. He probably would learn it as the night progressed, anyway.

"Of course you can stay overnight," Kuroo said as he returned with another handful of beer. Bokuto was following him, carrying the bowl of punch.

"Isn't that a bit too optimistic of you?" Akaashi asked as Bokuto set it onto the coffee table.

"Nope. People will start drinking it when they are drunk enough."

"I will never be drunk enough to touch that shit again," Noya declared.

"Wanna bet on it?"

"If there's enough beer and other stuff, yes!"

"Are you an equestrian?" Lev asked Oikawa, distracting him from Noya's and Bokuto's alcohol discussion.

"Not exactly," Oikawa said, scratching his neck. "I own a horse and she has a stall in Fukurodani, but I don't know how to ride or... anything."

Lev's face brightened. "Wait, you're the guy who inherited a horse and brought it to Fukurodani?"

Well, the rumours were bound to travel. Naturally the guys had been speculating his case amongst themselves. Oikawa wondered how many of them thought of him as a weirdo. "Yeah, that's me."

"Wild," Lev said, his face beaming. He didn't look like he disapproved of Oikawa's choice.

"Oikawa-san's horse is pretty wild, actually," Hinata interjected. "But Noya did a fine job in jumping with her."

Oikawa knew because of the texts he had received from Iwaizumi that Akaashi had ridden Diva the other day and again today. No jumping though. She had moved... okay. Nothing too dramatic, whatever that meant.

"She's a royal bitch," Oikawa affirmed. 

"She's doing much better now, though," Hinata objected. Damn, he was all for Diva. If Oikawa ever needed to hire a lawyer for his horse, the orange-haired boy would be a suitable candidate.

"Alright, now that everyone's here..." Kuroo began, clapping his hands together. "Let's play Truth or Dare!"

"What are you, twelve?" Iwaizumi asked.

"He is, mentally," Kenma said.

"Come on, since we have new people in our gathering, we want to learn more about them and Truth or Dare is the best way to do it."

"Or you could, you know, just ask," Iwaizumi remarked. "That's what we have been doing until now."

"But it isn't as fun."

Noya pulled himself up from the bean bag where he had been lying like a beached whale sinking into quicksand for the past minutes. "I'm all for playing!"

"Me too!" Bokuto seconded.

"That's not news to anyone," Akaashi said.

The idea got mixed reviews. Some were very eager (Hinata and Lev) whereas some tried to look like they had turned invisible, clearly hoping that the others would forget they were there (Kageyama and Kenma). Oikawa didn't really like playing Truth or Dare, to be honest, it had been years and years since the last time he had played it, but sometimes, _sometimes_ , the game resulted in people kissing and he didn't mind if he got a dare to kiss Iwaizumi. Then again, he might get a dare to kiss Bokuto – or even worse, Kageyama – but for Iwaizumi he was willing to take the risk.

"I'll get a bottle," Kuroo said, getting to his feet. "Clean the table a little bit, will ya?"

"I'm not drunk enough for this," Iwaizumi groaned.

"Drink faster then," Noya advised as he started removing objects from the table with Lev. Kuroo came back with an empty wine bottle, grinning victoriously.

"Is this what you usually do at your gatherings?" Oikawa asked Yaku.

"Not really. Usually we just play some video games or watch bad movies and talk crap about them."

So why now? Oikawa wondered if Kuroo had some ulterior motives.

"Who wants to spin first?" the black-haired man asked once he'd sat down. "Who's the youngest?"

"I think Kageyama," Hinata said.

Kageyama didn't look too happy about it. "I don't care. Someone else can spin first."

"No, you start. Just spin it," Hinata urged.

"I don't want to."

"Oh come on, don't spoil the fun!"

"Why don't you do it, dumbass?"

Oh yeah, the Lone King hadn't changed one bit. He had just found a new person to fight with.

"Because the youngest should start, Bakeyama!"

"Somebody just fucking spin it!" Noya groaned when it started to look like Hinata and Kageyama would get themselves into a wrestling match on the couch. Lev leaned forward and grabbed the bottle.

"I think I'm the second youngest so I'll start, okay?"

"Yes, please!"

Lev spun the bottle on the table. It ended up pointing towards Akaashi.

"Alright, Akaashi, truth or dare?"

"Truth." Akaashi looked like he was ready to lie if the question turned out to be too awkward.

Lev thought for a bit. "Hmm... what's your most well-kept secret?"

Akaashi looked at him with a blank expression. "If I told you, it wouldn't be so well-kept anymore, wouldn't it?"

"Come on, you chose truth!"

"Okay, hmm, let me think..." Akaashi trailed of, tapping his chin and pretending to think. "I have a cum box in my closet."

Noya practically jumped in the air. "WHAAAT?!"

Iwaizumi barked out a laughter that almost shook the room, and Kuroo began howling so hard that he almost fell off his chair. Many others were snickering too, Oikawa amongst them.

"No, you dont!" Bokuto objected, staring at Akaashi with horror.

"What the hell is a cum box?" Lev asked, confused.

Akaashi waited for the ruckus to settle before speaking again. "Okay, I lied. It's Kou's."

"No, fuck! I don't fucking have a cum box! Keiji, why would you say that?" Bokuto looked like he was going to cry. Apparently Akaashi's polite exterior was a fluke and in reality he was a sneaky little devil.

"What is a cum box?" Lev kept asking, turning to Hinata who shook his head and then to Yaku who just patted his arm and said he was going to explain it later.

" _Keijiiii!_ " Bokuto whined. "Please answer seriously!"

Akaashi huffed. "Alright, alright. Calm down."

"And tell everyone here that I do _not_ have a cum box!"

"Kou doesn't have a cum box. I was just being an evil asshole."

"Thank you!" Bokuto nodded, relieved.

Akaashi cleared his throat, staring in front of him. "My most well-kept secret is my relationship with Kou."

"Whoa, what?!" Noya blurted out again. Oikawa wondered which one was the surprise: the fact that Akaashi was dating Bokuto or that he kept it a secret. He got his answer soon enough as Akaashi began explaining.

"My parents – or namely my dad – are very old-fashioned and would probably get a heart attack if they learnt that their only son is in a relationship with a man, so I've decided they can live without hearing about it."

Oh yeah, that might explain why Akaashi and Bokuto called each other by their family names in the stable.

"That's quite sad," Lev said. "Sorry, Akaashi. I should have asked something else."

Akaashi shrugged. "It's fine."

"Damn, that kinda ruined the mood," Lev continued, rubbing his neck sheepishly. 

"I don't really think about it, so don't worry," Akaashi said, taking the bottle. "My turn then." He gave the bottle a spin. This time it stopped on Kenma.

"Kenma, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Drink a glass of Kou's and Kuroo's punch."

Kenma gave a shrug and leaned forward to scoop himself a glass of the nasty liquid. He smelled it first and his mask of boredom cracked a little. "Did you piss in this, Kuro?"

"Of course not. Just gulp it down, it's not so bad!"

"If I end up in a hospital, I'm holding you responsible." And with that, Kenma tilted his head back and poured the drink into his mouth. His gag reflex kicked in immediately, some of orange liquid leaking out from between his lips. He swallowed bravely but almost retched after that, and he had to clasp his hands over his mouth in order to keep everything in. Hinata offered him a glass of water.

"Can't we just dump that shit into the drain so no one else has to suffer from it?" Iwaizumi asked.

Kuroo shook his head vigorously. "No, it's good booze! Expensive booze!" 

"It's a misuse of an expensive liqueur, that's what it is," Akaashi said.

"Kenma, your turn to spin!"

Kenma gave the bottle a spin. This time it ended up on Oikawa.

"Truth or dare?"

Oikawa considered it for a moment. If he chose dare, he might end up drinking the punch too. Although, that joke was getting old, so probably not. He wasn't sure he wanted to share his darkest secrets with the people he didn't know so well, either. It was a matter of how creative of a question Kenma could come up with.

"Truth," he said anyway.

"Hmm... do you have a crush on someone at the moment?"

Everyone was peering at him curiously, including Kageyama the Sourpuss, even though he pretended that he was just watching the window behind Oikawa. Kuroo had a malicious grin plastered on his face and that made Oikawa wonder... Had the black-haired man perhaps said something to his roommate-slash-partner? Was there a conspiracy of some sort?

"How do you know that he's not in a relationship already?" Lev asked.

Kenma didn't waver. "I didn't ask that, I just asked if he has a crush on someone. He could always say no."

"You can be in a relationship and have a crush on someone," Kuroo said. "It can be the one you're with or someone else. So, what is it, Oikawa-san?"

Oikawa pursed his lips, musing over his answer. "I might." If he had been brave, he would have held Iwaizumi's gaze while saying it, but he chickened out and merely let his eyes ghost over the trainer's face before fixating them on the floor.

"So you do," Kuroo concluded. "Good thing Kenma didn't ask who it was, huh?"

Okay, Kuroo could become a problem. If he started implying too much, everyone would realize and Oikawa didn't want the party to turn into a high school nightmare. He wanted Iwaizumi to know, eventually, but not like this. He wanted to be more subtle, carefully make the man warm up to him.

..or if he got too impatient, just jump his bones. But without Kuroo Tetsurou's assistance, thank you very much.

"Why would he care? It's not like we share a lot of acquaintances," Oikawa remarked, looking at Kuroo pointedly. The guy seemed to take a hint for now and merely smiled, leaning back in his chair. Iwaizumi didn't look like anything was out of place. He just sat there on the floor, taking a swig of beer every now and then. He looked at Oikawa when he spoke, but otherwise he didn't seem to particularly care what was happening in that end of the room.

It was Oikawa's turn then. He took a hold of the bottle and sent it spinning. Oh, how convenient would it be if it ended up pointing towards Iwaizumi. Oikawa could already think of a bunch of questions he wanted to ask and a couple of dares too. The game had just started, though, so he couldn't suggest anything too bold yet.

The bottle stopped on Kageyama. Damn, just his luck.

"Truth or dare, Kageyama?"

Kageyama was glaring daggers at him despite Oikawa not having even suggested anything yet. "Dare."

Oikawa felt his insides curling into an evil smile, but he kept his face neutral. "Kiss Hinata."

Kageyama jumped a bit. "What?"

"What?!" that one came from Hinata's mouth. Oikawa made a mental note to apologize to the boy later for the awful situation he had ended up in.

Oikawa held Kageyama's gaze. "You heard me." He took notice of his suddenly quiet surroundings. It seemed as if everyone was holding their breaths, waiting to see whether or not Kageyama would carry through Oikawa's order.

Kageyama was huffing with annoyance, looking everywhere but Hinata and clearly thinking how to get off the hook. But it didn't last long; after ten seconds or so he sat up straighter, grabbed Hinata by the shoulders and quickly pecked him on the lips.

"Nooo! That was too short! Your lips barely touched!" Noya protested.

"Shut up! I kissed him! Oikawa didn't define how long the kiss needed to be."

"It was so fast I didn't even see it," Lev pouted.

"I'm not doing it again just because you're slow!"

"Kiss accepted," Akaashi cut the argument short. "Let's move on. Kageyama, it's your turn."

Kageyama took hold of the bottle, a deep frown on his face. He was most certainly hoping for the bottle to end up pointing at Oikawa, so he could get back to him. But once he spun it, almost knocking it over the table edge with the force he used, it stopped not on Oikawa but on Iwaizumi. 

Kageyama was glancing around, maybe trying to make out the relationships in the room, and pondering just how much of Iwaizumi's character matched his no-bullshit looks, before he asked, "Truth or dare."

"Dare," Iwaizumi said immediately.

"In that case..." Kageyama said, leaning back. "Do an impression of Oikawa."

Bokuto clapped his hands. "Oohohoo!"

Kuroo was laughing. "Mean!"

Hinata, on the other hand, elbowed the brat and gave him a disapproving look. "That's not nice, Bakeyama!" Kageyama just ignored him, his eyes on Iwaizumi.

Iwaizumi took a gulp of beer before looking at Oikawa, maybe searching for some inspiration. Oikawa could feel the inside of his shirt turning into an onsen. He tried to smile casually and not look like his insides were trying to set themselves on fire. Iwaizumi put his beer on the table and stood up. He pulled the hem of his shirt down and cleared his throat before opening his mouth.

"Alright, here comes..." And then he adopted a high-pitched tone that Oikawa couldn't identify as his own. "'Iwa-chan, what are you doing with that whip? Are you going to spank my horse with it? And what is _that_? I've never seen a horse shoe in my life! What do you do with it? Use it as a good-luck charm?'" 

Oikawa huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "That _is_ mean!" It could have been meaner, he admitted. Iwaizumi could have imitated the times when Oikawa's eyes refused to obey him and wandered off to the trainer's crotch.

Everyone else was laughing, Kuroo, Bokuto and Noya the loudest, and Hinata trying very hard to keep a straight face but an occasional giggle breaking through. Even Kenma seemed to be laughing – Oikawa didn't hear any sounds from him, but his shoulders were shaking.

"I hope someone makes me imitate you," Oikawa muttered as Iwaizumi sat back down, followed by a round of applaud and cheering. The dark-haired man grabbed the bottle, making it spin around furiously.

And as it happened... when the bottle stopped, it was pointing towards Oikawa. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm one of those losers who show up to the parties in time. :D I'm late for everything else though. And of course I had to use the major cliché of Truth or Dare.
> 
> If you don't know what a cum box is, you can always google it. Just... be prepared.


	8. The Party, pt. 2

"So... Oikawa. Truth or dare?"

Oikawa's hands were prickling. He felt like Iwaizumi's intense stare was boring through his clothes. He only faintly registered that Iwaizumi had dropped -san from his name.

_What if he asks if the person you have a crush on is in this room? What if he asks directly who you have a crush on?_

Iwaizumi didn't seem like a person who'd ask such things but then again, Oikawa didn't really know the man that well. Maybe it was safer to...

"Dare," he said.

"Right." Iwaizumi rubbed his hands together in a way Oikawa didn't like one bit. "Go and kneel in front of Kageyama and talk to him like you talk to your horse. Do it at least for half a minute."

Kuroo was the first one to burst out in laughter, quickly followed by Bokuto and the rest – apart from Kageyama who was stunned into silence.

Oikawa was staring at the dark-haired trainer in horror. "What?! Why? No! Iwa-ch– Iwaizumi, why would you... urgh." He had picked dare, he had to do it. Reluctantly, he got up and went over to the couch, bending his knees slowly like an old man suffering from arthritis. Kageyama kept shifting his weight on the couch like he wanted to escape the room, clearly wondering why he had been dragged into the stupid dare.

"Wait, wait!" Noya shouted. "I need to get my phone out. This absolutely has to be captured!"

Oikawa panicked. "No, stop! You can't film it! I forbid it!"

But Noya didn't budge. He pulled out his phone and set it to record, pointing it towards Oikawa and Kageyama. And he wasn't the only one; Kuroo took out his phone too, as did Bokuto and Lev.

"This is the last time I come to your party," Oikawa swore, glancing at Iwaizumi in hopes of getting out of this bind, but the man had crossed his arms over his chest and was staring at him expectantly. Oikawa then turned his eyes to Kageyama who luckily wasn't looking at him. "Um, what's up, girl? How have you been today..?" Damn, he felt to fucking stupid! He didn't dare to look at Hinata, but he could see out of the corner of his eye that the boy was trying very hard to keep himself from laughing.

"That's not how you talk to Diva," Iwaizumi objected. "Do it properly."

Gaah, it seemed that he wouldn't get out of it. Better get it over and done with quickly. Oikawa drew a deep breath before searching for the tone he usually adopted while talking to Diva and imagining his mare's stupid face instead of Kageyama's.

"What's up, you fat shit machine? Did you perhaps try to buck someone off your back again? Or maybe you kicked Akaashi while he was feeding you, huh, because that's what you do, isn't it? You love to cause harm to people who groom and feed you. Why don’t you start making up for your boarding, you useless barrel of basashi? You really resemble more of a sack of hay than a horse."

Kageyama's face could have featured in a dictionary next to the word 'dumbfounded'. Everyone had been holding their breath during Oikawa's performance, but once he quietened down, the lot began cheering and clapping.

Lev was confused. "Why do you talk to your horse like that?"

"Because she is a ball of lard! An evil ball of lard!"

“That wasn’t the full 30 seconds,” Iwaizumi said.

Oikawa’s shoulders sunk. “Come on, Iwaizumi-san, give me a break! It was enough!”

“That was a pretty good imitation,” Bokuto commented.

Iwaizumi huffed, relenting. “Okay, I guess it’s acceptable.”

“You got it all?” Akaashi asked Bokuto, pointing at his phone.

“Yeah, I did! Should I upload it onto Funny Horse Videos site?”

“Nooooo!” Oikawa practically screamed. “You can’t upload to anywhere without my permission. And I forbid it! Just delete those videos immediately!”

Kuroo flashed him a grin. “Nope, sorry bro, not gonna happen.”

Oikawa was gritting his teeth when he returned to the armchair. Coming to the party had been a mistake! Who knew equestrians could be such mischievous people?

“It’s your turn to spin, Oikawa-san,” Hinata pointed out and Oikawa’s mood lifted a little. He just hoped the bottle would end up on Iwaizumi, so he could get his revenge.

It didn’t. It was pointing towards Yaku. Damn, Oikawa didn’t know Yaku at all, but the guy seemed like the only other civilized person in the room beside himself (after Akaashi had turned out to be a devil in disguise). It would feel wrong to give him something awful to do.

“Truth or dare, Yaku-san?”

“Truth,” Yaku said immediately.

Oikawa thought for a question for a moment. “If you had to give up sex or horses, which one would you choose?”

Oikawa noticed that Lev was looking at Yaku intently. “Like, I would have to stop riding or I couldn’t even go near horses anymore?” Yaku asked.

“You would have to avoid horses for the rest of your life.”

"What about sex? Does jerking off count?"

"Everything. You'd have to live like a monk."

“Then I’d give up... horses.”

Kuroo let out a low whistle. "Wow, Yaku, I didn't take you as such a sexual person."

"I don't know if that's an insult or not," Yaku mumbled. "Sorry I didn't live up to your expectations. I think every guy with a healthy sex drive would find it really difficult to not ever touch his dick outside of going to the bathroom. Or would you choose Cow over banging Kenma?"

Oikawa felt yet another moment of enlightenment. _So they are a couple! I wonder if this party only includes gay people. Gay people who apparently seemed to have some sort of relationship going on with another participant. What next? Hinata banging Kageyama?_

Oikawa silently chuckled at the image.

Kuroo saluted Yaku. "Point taken."

"Who says it's Kuro who bangs?" Kenma asked.

"Point taken," Yaku echoed Kuroo's remark.

"Ohohohoo," Kuroo merely said to that. 

"Yaku's turn then," Akaashi said, urging them back to playing. 

Yaku sent the bottle spinning. This time it stopped on Noya.

"Truth or dare?"

Noya looked like he was ready to burst out of his skin, his hands balled into fists and his eyes glimmering. "Dare!"

"Call the nearest pizzeria and order a 'none pizza with left beef'."

"Ooh, you mean like the internet meme?"

"Yeah. Also ask them to draw a picture of your hairy ass on the box."

"My ass is not hairy," Noya objected. "Are you going to pay for the pizza?"

"I am if they actually deliver it."

"Alright, hang on." Noya took out his phone. "Kuroo, you have the number? What is your address?"

Kuroo searched through his own phone for the number of the near-by pizzeria and showed it to Noya who quickly typed it in his own phone. Kenma wrote the address down on a piece of paper. Noya shushed people as he brought the phone onto his ear. "Yes? Hello, this is Kuroo Tetsurou."

Kuroo mouthed 'No' and was about to surge over the table but Bokuto caught him and forced him sit back down. The others were trying to contain their laughter. 

"I'd like to order a 'none pizza with left beef', please. Yes, that's right. And I'd like to have my hairy ass drawn on the box cover. Uh-huh. No, this is not a prank call. I'd like it delivered to my home. Hold on, I'll give you my address. I live just around the corner." Noya told the person on the phone the address and assured one more time he wasn't kidding, emphasizing that Kuroo Tetsurou never joked about his ass, before hanging up and grinning victoriously. "The pizza is on its way!"

"Fuck, they actually know me in that place," Kuroo groaned.

"They don't know your name if you haven't specifically told them," Kenma pointed out.

"I guess not. But now I can never order a home delivery from that place again!"

"I'm sure they'll forget about it soon enough," Bokuto told him, patting his back.

They continued the game for fifteen more minutes, but eventually grew tired. Kenma was the first one to announce that he didn't want to play anymore and pulled out a PSP. That was when the doorbell rang and Noya told Kuroo to go and get it.

"You get it, it's your pizza."

"Technically it's Yaku's if he pays for it," Noya remarked.

"Nope, I'm not going there."

"Somebody just get the door," Kenma muttered over his console. In the end Noya got up and went to get the pizza after receiving money from Yaku.

"It was really cheap," he said as he returned to the living room carrying the pizza box.

"What do you mean?" Kuroo asked. "I think they have average prices."

"No, it was like..." Noya lifted the cover and trailed off, staring inside. "What the hell?"

Bokuto and Kuroo were around him in an instant. "What? What is it?"

"There's no pizza, only beef!" Noya turned the box around for everyone to see, and true enough, it only had vague shreds of beef sprinkled on the left side. 

Iwaizumi snorted. "Well, that's what you ordered, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but in the meme there was the dough too, just without cheese or tomato sauce."

"They probably haven't seen the meme," Kuroo concluded. "But hey, they did the drawing!"

On the inside of the cover there was a scruffy drawing of butt cheeks with patches of hair on them, a text 'My hairy ass' and an arrow pointing towards the drawing. This time Yaku found his phone and came to snap a picture of the whole box.

"This is so going on my Facebook!"

"You want to eat your left beef?" Noya asked. He picked up a piece of meat and slipped it into his mouth. "It's pretty good."

Yaku shook his head. "You can have it."

Noya shrugged and returned to the bean bag, trying to get comfortable before getting to the beef.

"So what do you wanna do now?" Kuroo asked.

"Why don't we just put some stupid movie on? Or we could play Mario Kart," Lev suggested.

Noya was ready immediately. "Yes! Let's play!"

"But Kenma can't play. He's too good," Bokuto said.

Kenma threw a glance at him. "I wouldn't want to either."

There were only four controllers so that meant everyone couldn't play at the same time. Oikawa wasn't very good at racing games so he said he was going to pass. He was happy that Iwaizumi declined too; maybe he'd finally get his chance to talk to the trainer more freely. It was Lev, Noya, Kuroo and Bokuto who got to play on the first round. They pushed the coffee table aside so they could sit on the floor in front of the TV.

"I'm going to get more wine," Oikawa muttered, getting to his feet and heading to the kitchen. He was hoping Iwaizumi would follow him, but the man stayed in the living room, watching the other guys play and occasionally giving them advice (orders). He needed to get more alcohol into his system so he'd get the courage to actually flirt with Iwaizumi.

Damn, since when had he been this insecure?

As he was pouring wine into his glass, he heard someone enter the kitchen. The steps were light and bouncy, so he wasn't surprised to see Hinata. The boy looked like he had come to talk to Oikawa and not fetch more drinks. Sure enough, he began talking nervously right after Oikawa had noticed him.

"Um, Oikawa-san, I've been wanting to ask you something."

Oikawa turned fully around, facing the boy. "Oh, what is it?"

"I was just wondering... I mean..." Hinata trailed off, rubbing his neck and gazing anywhere but in Oikawa's direction. If he hadn't known better, he would have assumed that the boy wanted to ask him out.

Wait, he was not trying to ask Oikawa out, right? Because that would result in a _veeeryyyy_ awkward situation. Even if Hinata was drunk and Oikawa was slightly buzzed, they both would remember it in the morning. And Hinata was a sweet boy, Oikawa didn't want to hurt him.

He didn't say anything, merely waiting for Hinata to get his act together. The boy kept twisting his fingers and rocking on the balls of his feet even when he finally spoke. "Since Diva hasn't got a regular rider or groomer yet and it looks like she accepts light riders better... I mean, uh, I don't have a regular horse at the moment. I'm just helping out where I'm needed. And I really like your horse so I was wondering..."

Oikawa blinked. "You're telling me you want to ride her? As in, train with her?"

Hinata's eyes snapped into him and he nodded vigorously. "Yes! I mean, if it's okay with you. I'm not as good as Bokuto-san or Noya or anything, but I'm a fast learner and maybe Diva would accept me."

Oikawa considered it. Really, it wasn't such a bad idea, but he wasn't familiar with Hinata's riding skills so he didn't feel like he was the right person to decide.

"Hmm, I think you should ask Iwaizumi about it."

"But why? She's your horse. You can decide who rides her."

"Yes, but you know I'm not really an expert and I can't say what's best for her."

Hinata looked a bit disappointed but picked his chin up soon enough. "So if Iwaizumi-san says that it's okay, I could try?"

Oikawa shrugged. "I don't see why not. But you've seen her. You know that she's difficult."

"I know. If I may say this, Oikawa-san... even though I'm not a professional, I've been riding for almost eight years. I've ridden difficult horses too."

"You're over 20, right?"

For a second, Hinata looked scandalized and indignant. He quickly covered it under a neutral mask as he remembered he wanted something from Oikawa. "Yes, I'll turn 27 this summer."

Whoa, holy shit! But... how? 

Alright, that made sense, because Kageyama was the youngest of the lot and he was already 26... Oikawa had forgotten it. Still, Hinata must suffer from his young looks. Oikawa wondered if he got denied an access to nightclubs a lot.

"If Iwaizumi thinks it's a good idea, then I have no objection."

Hinata straightened his posture and bowed. "Okay! Thank you, Oikawa-san!"

"Don't worry about it. Just, I can't pay you or anything."

"Oh no, I don't want money! I'm just... I can't afford to buy a horse of my own and I've wanted to have a regular horse for so long, because I want to participate in competitions."

"I'm not sure if Diva will ever get that far."

Hinata wasn't discouraged by his words. "It's worth trying, though, isn't it?"

 _Yeah... it is._ Oikawa nodded. "You do realize that it would be Iwaizumi training you?"

Hinata rolled his shoulders back with a stern look on his face. "I've ridden under his command before. I can take it."

Oikawa nodded towards the living room. "Go ahead then."

"I think he is a bit drunk now, so I'll ask him in the stable."

To Oikawa Iwaizumi looked fairly sober but the dark-haired man had downed quite a few dozes so maybe Hinata was right. Oikawa had been sure that Iwaizumi was one of those health nerds who never drunk more than a few beers, but apparently that wasn't the case. He was handling his liqueur quite well, anyway, at least compared to Kuroo and Bokuto who were all over the place.

"Sure, you do that."

"Great, thank you, Oikawa-san!" Hinata said, bowing again and scurrying out of the kitchen. Oikawa leaned against the counter, sipping the wine and musing over the discussion. Why hadn't he thought about it himself? Besides Noya, Hinata was the one person in Fukurodani who physically matched Diva's 'requirements'. Maybe the idea hadn't occurred to him, because he had subconsciously assumed that Akaashi or Iwaizumi would bring it up if it was a considerable option. Maybe Iwaizumi didn't trust in Hinata's skills enough. Oikawa still hoped he would let the boy try. If he succeeded, it would be the solution to his weeks-worth dilemma.

He returned to the living room where the game had advanced onto the second round and everyone was pretty much engaged with it, Bokuto, Kuroo and Noya shouting at the screen like wild animals and Lev groaning in frustration. Instead of returning to the arm chair, Oikawa found a free spot on the floor, in front of the couch where he could lean on it. Kageyama wasn't on the couch anymore – in fact, he wasn't in the room anymore. Maybe he had gone to the bathroom or something. That wasn't the reason Oikawa chose to sit on the floor, no, it was the fact that Iwaizumi was sitting there too and it was just natural that he wanted to sit next to someone he needed to speak with. Hinata wasn't in the room either, which Oikawa found a bit odd, but that suited his plans too. Perhaps he should have waited for Hinata to ask himself, but this was such a great excuse to talk to the trainer.

"Iwaizumi-san?" he asked, making the man peel his eyes away from the TV. "I just learned something interesting."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"I might have a potential rider for Diva."

"Someone suitable answered your ad?"

"Nope, something better. Hinata just came to me and said he'd like to become her rider."

Iwaizumi's face was unreadable. He fiddled the beer bottle in his fingers, keeping Oikawa in a quandary for a long while. "It's not like I haven't thought about it myself."

"But..?"

"But nothing, really. I'm just not sure if they are a good match."

"Why wouldn't they be? Hinata can't weigh that much. Is it because of his style?"

"Hinata is very enthusiastic and sort of hyperactive whereas Diva needs someone with Akaashi's temperament." Iwaizumi trailed off, taking a sip of his beer. "But he can give it a try. You never know."

"He'll be very happy," Oikawa said, smiling. "I honestly don't know what he sees in Diva, though."

"Probably just a horse in need of a regular rider. Every goal-driven rider wants a set horse to train and compete with." Iwaizumi glanced at Oikawa. "She's your horse. You make the final decision."

"Well, if you think it's worth trying."

"Everything is worth trying."

_Like, perhaps, some horizontal tango with me?_

Oikawa cleared his throat, forcing impure thoughts of Iwaizumi into the background. "When Hinata comes to you, could you pretend that I didn't already talk to you about it?"

Iwaizumi hummed, nodding. "Sure." Then he rubbed his back, grimacing a little. "Ugh, I need to lie down." And then he just, lowered his torso onto the floor and lifted his legs to rest them on the couch, letting out a relieved groan. His new position offered direct eye, at least if Oikawa happened to glance his way. He wondered if he should ask...

Since he had already had a few glasses of wine, he could pretend that his self-censorship wasn't in the best condition. "Does it bother you a lot?"

Iwaizumi cocked an eyebrow, shooting him a questioning look.

"Your back, I mean," Oikawa said, remembering then that he wasn't technically supposed to know about Iwaizumi's accident. Since he didn't want to cause Noya any trouble, it was better to blame his own curiosity. "Sorry, I read about the accident online."

Iwaizumi didn't seem angry, but maybe a little bit surprised at the fact that Oikawa had obviously googled him. Oh well, if things spiralled downhill, he could always say that he had wanted to check if Iwaizumi had any merit as a trainer. The man huffed, turning his eyes from Oikawa to the ceiling. "It's fine. It's more of my back getting tired than actually hurting after sitting in a crouched position for too long."

"It helps if you lie down?"

"Yeah, it takes the pressure off of the injured part."

Oikawa wanted to ask if the injury had been in his upper or lower back but he probably had pushed his luck enough for that night. No one else seemed to pay any mind to Iwaizumi's switch of positions so Oikawa assumed it was something he had to do often. It was only Kuroo who glanced behind his back, seeing the setting Oikawa and Iwaizumi were in and smirked. Oikawa shot him a meaningful look and Kuroo returned his attention to the game. God damn that guy! Why was he so observant and eager to meddle in?

Aargh, the new position made Iwaizumi's shirt ride up his torso, revealing a strip of skin. Oikawa stared, hypnotized, as the man's stomach rose and fell along his breathing, drawing faint lines of abs on the skin and if Oikawa really squinted, he could make out a few strands of dark hair peeking from the waist of Iwaizumi's jeans. He was fighting the urge to lean over the man and cover his lips with his own. Or maybe just brush his fingers against his cheek. Or hair. Or biceps. Thighs. Toes. Any part of him could do.

At some point he realized he wasn't the only one staring. Iwaizumi hadn't let out a sound, merely observing him with a small crease between his brows. To his defence, Oikawa could say that this time he _hadn't_ been staring at the man's crotch.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" he said, just to break the awkward eye lock.

"Not if it's about my back."

"It's not."

Iwaizumi exhaled slowly. "Go ahead then."

"I was just wondering... about the time you said we went to the same middle school in Sendai."

"Yeah?"

"Which class were you in? I mean, were we in the same year?"

"Yes, we were. My class was 2 – if I remember correctly. It was a light year ago."

"But we weren't in the same class?"

"No."

"How come..?" Oikawa shut his mouth to mull over his words. "You remembered me?"

"Not immediately, no. But it didn't take long."

_Is it because I was popular already in middle school?_

"Almost everyone in the school knew you," Iwaizumi said. "You were the annoying, pretentious prick every girl had a crush on."

Oikawa almost spilled his wine. "What! No, I wasn't! I mean... yeah, the girls did like me but I wasn't pretentious."

"Yes, you were. You still are. I feel sorry for Kageyama who had to stare at your pompous face throughout high school. I bet you were insufferable."

Fuck, how did he know about that too? "Iwa-cha– Iwaizumi-san!" Oikawa was horrified. "That's not fair! I'm not insufferable or pretentious!"

"But you admit that you are a prick?"

"I'm not a prick! I'm a genuinely nice person who cares about people around him!"

Iwaizumi let out a laugh but said nothing. Oikawa's insides were boiling and his face was burning but he wasn't sure if it was out of anger or embarrassment. Why was Iwaizumi being so mean to him? Oikawa had done nothing to him. It wasn't a crime to be good-looking and have a great fashion sense!

"You know what I think?" he said. "I think you were jealous because the girls liked me. I bet you were the ugly kid in our school and only became a hottie after puberty."

Whoops. Did he really say that out loud?

Judging by the questioning look on Iwaizumi's face, yes, he had said it out loud. Judging by the round-eyed look _Kuroo_ gave him, he had definitely said it out loud.

Oikawa straightened his neck, pressing his lips together. He would just pretend that it had been intentional. They were adults and adults could call each other hot without it meaning anything. He had merely made an observation.

"I rest my case," Iwaizumi stated. "You have a shitty personality."

Oikawa sneered. "You don't even know me! We weren't friends in school! You know what? I bet that on top of being the ugly kid you had a crush on me. That's why you're so mean. You're still holding a grudge!"

Iwaizumi laughed again. "In your dreams, Shittykawa."

"Don't call me that!"

Noya turned to look at them. "What are you two arguing about? Come on, this is a party. You should have fun. Get your asses here and play some Mario Kart! Come see Luigi's death glare!"

Iwaizumi made no move of joining the game, probably because of his back. Oikawa huffed in annoyance. "I don't want to play." He gulped down his wine and on a whim, lay down next to Iwaizumi, mimicking his position and lifting his legs on the couch too. Then they said nothing, simply lay there and stared at the ceiling. Hinata and Kageyama came back from god knows where and gave them a curious glance but said nothing. Kageyama quickly occupied the armchair so that he didn't have to sit near Oikawa, and Hinata went to sit next to Kenma.

Oikawa rested his hands on his stomach, feeling them rise and fall, trying to calm his beating heart. Why did Iwaizumi have to be so harsh? Or rather, why did he have to be so hot? Oikawa didn't want to have a crush on such an awful man. Why hadn't he fallen for, say, Noya instead? The short guy was much more approachable than Iwaizumi. And yet, there was a light tingling in the back of his mind. Call it a radar or whatever, but he had a feeling that Iwaizumi didn't mind him quite as much as he let out. So when the dark-haired man lowered his legs back onto the floor and proceeded to get up with 'I'm going to get another beer', Oikawa only waited for three seconds before hurrying to his feet and following the man to the kitchen. Iwaizumi didn't say anything to him or glance over his shoulder, but Oikawa was sure he could hear him following.

When Iwaizumi opened the fridge and got a bottle out, still ignoring him, Oikawa began to feel stupid. What had been his initial thought? Why had he followed the other man? Of course he could get more wine for himself but he doubted Iwaizumi would buy it. But so what if he didn't? It wasn't like Oikawa owed him an explanation.

Iwaizumi turned around, leaning on the counter and taking a sip of his beer before lifting his eyes to Oikawa. He didn't say anything, just observed quietly, like he was trying to make out Oikawa's intentions. Oikawa could feel his sudden boost of confidence wavering. Damn, the man had the poker face of a yakuza boss and unbearably piercing eyes. Nonetheless, he held the gaze as he took a step closer. The silence was growing into its own being, interrupted only by game sounds and loud screams from the living room. Oikawa hoped Iwaizumi would say something and at the same time that he wouldn't. He was clearly waiting to hear what Oikawa had to say. Or see what he wanted to do. How close he would get.

When there were only 30 centimetres or so between them and Oikawa was leaning closer, he briefly wondered if he was just taking an unnecessary risk. He might get himself a black eye or missing tooth and on Monday Mizoguchi would laugh his ass off at him. Even if he didn't receive any physical harm, reading the situation wrong could make his and Iwaizumi's future encounters very awkward. He wondered if it was worth testing the waters. The wine in his blood said yes. His instincts said yes. His instincts said that Iwaizumi had to already know what was coming. He could have left if he didn't want to interact with Oikawa.

Oikawa licked his lips, trying to ease his hammering heart. He was sure Iwaizumi could see blood pulsing in the veins of his neck; he saw the man's eyes ghosting over his neck, his chin and his lips before returning to his eyes. And that was when Oikawa closed his own eyes and leaned forward, closing the gap between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raise your hand if you think Iwaizumi isn't purposely mean but just sucks at flirting. :D
> 
> Apparently all my fics contain a "choose between sex and thing X" query.


	9. The Party, pt. 3

Oikawa was waiting for a punch to come. Or maybe not a punch but a shove. A verbal slash. He was so prepared for it that he actually froze when it didn't come, but instead he was met with a pair of warm, slightly moist lips. At first, they didn't move but just rested against his, as if to ponder over the situation. Oikawa opened his mouth a little, tilting his head for a better access, and slowly, tentatively sucked on Iwaizumi's upper lip. He got a subtle response as the other man began to nibble his lower lip, first only barely, so that Oikawa could just feel it, but then with growing intensity. Iwaizumi tasted mostly of beer but there was a subtle hint in the background, something dark and dominating. A quick inhale carried the man's distinct scent into Oikawa's nostrils. If he had been asked to describe it, he would have said Iwaizumi smelled like a wind swiping over dry grass. Perhaps it was a mix of his aftershave and shampoo, perhaps just himself. Oikawa thought he could smell a hint of horses too, but maybe that was only because he had learned to associate the smell with the trainer. He had also learned that he didn't dislike it as much as in the beginning. While he had a specific outfit he used in the stable, he didn't throw it into the washing machine immediately after returning home like he had done after the first few visits.

_So my radar wasn't off. He doesn't mind me as much as he leads on._

A wave of heat rushed through him, beginning from his lips and heading to his stomach, whirling there and continuing to his groin, making blood pulse in his veins. He pressed more into the kiss, faintly aware of the wet smacking noise it was creating. Luckily the other guys were busy and noisy with their game.

Just as Oikawa was about to get rid of the wine glass so he could concentrate on the kiss and maybe use his hands too, Iwaizumi unlocked their lips, pulling his head back so he could look at Oikawa. His gaze was as stern as ever whereas Oikawa could feel his own eyelids fluttering. Then Iwaizumi grabbed him behind his neck and pressed their lips together again, this time probing his tongue into Oikawa's mouth. It was hungry, feeling around, finding his own tongue and entwining with it. His fingers were tight behind Oikawa's neck, sinking into his hair and almost pulling it, and Oikawa couldn't help but moan into the trainer's mouth.

The kiss was fiery but brief. With the same urgency as he had initiated it, Iwaizumi pulled away, leaving a string of saliva between them for a second before he wiped his mouth with his hand. Oikawa could see that his pupils were bigger than normal and his shoulders were heaving, but his expression was as unreadable as ever and he slipped out from the pocket between Oikawa and the counter. 

"I'm going back to the living room."

Oikawa practically felt his jaw drop.

_What? What?! No, you can't! You simply can't just... leave. Not now!_

But he could and he did. Oikawa was left to stand in the kitchen alone, stupefied and blinking with an empty wine glass in his hand.

But... why? 

Why didn't Iwaizumi stay so they could make out some more? Did he not want to? Did he think Oikawa was a bad kisser? (He wasn't.) Had he just decided that kissing Oikawa wasn't worth his time?

_Come back, you stupid hunk! You were so going to get lucky tonight! It's not like I'm playing hard to get! I'd totally let you top! I'd get on my knees and suck you off right here, right now!_

Fuck! For a split second he had thought that he might get to see Iwaizumi's bulge tonight without any inconvenient layers of fabric covering it.

Slowly, Oikawa kicked himself into moving and opened the fridge, taking out a bottle of wine and pouring some pale liquid into his glass. He gulped it down on one go and refilled his glass. It was some cheap brand, but the taste was pretty good. He emptied the glass again and decided to just take the whole bottle to the living room. After all, Kuroo had said that Oikawa could help himself to the wine whenever he wanted. He just didn't know how he could face Iwaizumi now – or the others. What if they guessed what had happened? _'Oohohoo, you were trying to get it on with Hajime, but he turned you down,'_ Kuroo would say. Kageyama would suffocate in his own laughter. At least in his inward laughter because Oikawa had never heard Kageyama laugh. He wasn't sure if the brat knew how.

Oikawa tugged out his phone and began typing. _'Aaaaeeeeegh!!! Hitoka-chaaaaaan!!!! I kissed Iwa-chan and he kissed me back but then he just stopped abruptly and left the room. What do I dooooo?!'_

He had to wait for the reply for way too long and when it arrived, it didn't offer very much help. _'I'm sorry, Tooru-san, but I have no idea what you should do. I suppose he must like you at least a little bit if he kissed you?'_

_'What if he's very drunk and confused me with a girl or someone else?'_

_'Well, did he seem very drunk?'_

_'No, he didn't. But he's like the epitome of poker face! You can't really say whether he's drunk or not.'_

_'Why don't you just follow him and see what happens?'_

Because it didn't work that way!

Oikawa shoved his phone away. _Okay, okay. Deep breath. Summarize the facts._

Fact number 1: Iwaizumi wasn't completely straight. That meant Oikawa had some hope.

Fact number 2: Iwaizumi had kissed him. That also meant he had hope.

Fact number 3: He needed more booze.

Oikawa opened the fridge again and took out another wine bottle.

* * 

An undefined period of time later, Oikawa had consumed two bottles of wine and he was drunk. He wasn't the only one.

"Heyyy... Oikawa-san," Kuroo slurred, almost looking in his direction but not quite. "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

"Yeah, like, in the stable?" Oikawa almost didn't recognize his own voice. It sounded distant like it wasn't coming from his mouth but from someone standing right beside him.

"Noooo! No, I mean, somewhere like... in magazines?"

Oikawa lifted his chin. "Maybe."

"Ooh, I thought you looked familiar!" Yaku noted, realization dawning on his face. He was one of the partiers who wasn't too smashed. The others included Akaashi and Kenma – and Iwaizumi although Oikawa wasn't a hundred percent sure of him since he didn't seem like someone who'd slur or stagger even when inebriated. Maybe he was a little bit more vocal than usual but that was about it.

"What?" Bokuto asked, turning his head from Yaku to Kuroo. "Is our own Oikawa-san famous or something?"

Yaku was looking at Oikawa with furrowed brows. "I think I've seen you featured in High Fashion or some other magazine. You're not a model, are you?"

Oikawa shook his head. It made the world spin in an annoying way so he stopped and clutched his head to focus again. "No, I'm a personal stylist. I work at Aoba Johsai."

"Can't say I've heard of it," Yaku said. "But then again, I don't really follow fashion. I think I've read an article about you or something. Remember Lev, it was one of your sister's magazines?"

Lev peeled his eyes open and pulled his head up from the corner of the couch where he had been nodding off. "Uhm... Yaku-chan, I don't read my sister's fashion magazines. When did you ever get your hands on them?"

"The last time we were all at your parents' place and Alisa had brought a collection of fashion magazines with her and left them in the living room. You were all watching some weird reality show and I got bored so I started reading whatever was at hand. I remember there was something about Oikawa-san. How you've dressed some actors and actresses and idols."

_You heard that, Iwaizumi? I'm famous. And you turned me down – or walked out of a make-out session with a celebrity._

Stupid Iwaizumi didn't seem to care one bit. He was sitting on the floor and leaning against the couch, drinking beer and occasionally making a remark of whatever was the topic. He behaved like nothing had happened in the kitchen, and Oikawa was so frustrated that he wanted to gnaw at his nails until there was nothing left of them.

"Are you in the cover of some magazine that's in the racks at the moment?" Kuroo asked.

"Uh, not in the cover, I think. There might be some kind of small entry though." It wasn't that common for journalists to even write about stylists in the first place, since they were the ones that should be invisible and in the backstage while the people they had dressed up took all the glory.

"Kuroo, bro, you just a'mitted that you read fass– fashion magazines," Bokuto laughed.

"Dude, what's wrong with that? Can't you see that I pay a lot of attention to my clothing?" Kuroo pointed at his shirt which had Cheshire Cat's grin printed on it. The print was faded to indicate that the shirt had been washed many times and the hem and the collar were frayed.

"He read it at the dentist's waiting room," Kenma said, turning his head towards Kuroo. "And you've worn that same shirt since high school."

"It's a nice shirt!" Kuroo protested.

"And you even sleep in it."

"It's comfortable too!"

"Talking about sleep," Akaashi said, placing his wine glass onto the table and getting to his feet. "I think I'm going to head home. Someone needs to feed the horses in the morning."

"'m comin' too." Bokuto was up right away – and almost on the floor a second after. He grabbed his chair for support. "Fuck, I'm drunk."

"You don't have to leave, Kou. You can come later or sleep here."

Bokuto shook his head. "No, I'm gonna help you in the morning."

"When the alarm goes off, you're just going to groan and cover your eyes and complain that light hurts your brain."

"Not, if I leave now and 'ave shomething shuper greasy to eat before bed. Maybe shome pizza with beef on _both sides._ "

"We're coming too," Hinata said. Oikawa assumed he meant Kageyama who had for the last hour and a half looked like he was going to puke if he was forced to socialize any longer.

"I think I'm going to bed too," Kenma said. "Would you like me to set up a futon for you, Lev?"

"Uh, sure, I'll come and help you. What time is it?" Lev said, pulling himself to sit up and rubbing his eyes.

"Ten past one," Yaku answered.

"And everyone's leaving already? Damn, we're getting old," Kuroo groaned.

Oikawa wouldn't have minded staying a little longer. In fact, getting home now on two trains sounded like a serious pain in the ass. Iwaizumi hadn't said anything so maybe he wasn't going to go just yet. Noya was still up and about; he had even mentioned going to a night club but the idea hadn't received very much support. He had been the one to play Mario Kart the longest after everyone else had grown tired.

Yaku got up from the couch, following Kenma and Lev. "I'm going to come and help you to prepare the beds."

Kuroo escorted Akaashi, Bokuto, Hinata and Kageyama to the door. "See you in the stable then. Uh, maybe not tomorrow but on Monday. Cow can have a day off in the paddock."

"I'm thinking of putting her with Ace and Diva," Akaashi said. "We'll see how it goes."

"Okay, sure."

"Thanks for the party! See you in the _stableeee!_ Bye, Noya and Hajime! Bye, Oikawa-shan!" Bokuto hollered towards the living room.

"Bye, everyone! See you! Good night!"

The door was shut and Kuroo returned to now noticeably much quieter living room. "Oh well, you guys still wanna do something?"

"I just texted Asahi and asked if he would come and pick me up so I don't have to take the train." Noya waved his phone. "It will take him at least half an hour to get here so... why don't we put a movie on?"

"Alright, let's see..." Kuroo clicked the remote to switch from Nintendo to the TV. "Oh, there's one starting right now... what is this? An American movie? 'Signs'?"

Oikawa jumped a bit. "Ooh, let's watch it!"

"It's crap," Iwaizumi said.

"It's not crap! It has aliens in it!"

Iwaizumi stared at him. "And that makes it good because..?"

"Because aliens are..." Oikawa couldn't think of a suitable word. "Anyway, it's an entertaining film."

"Let's watch it then," Noya decided, grabbing the bean bag and shoving it in the middle of the empty space between the couch and TV. He sunk into the bag, struggling to find a comfortable position and pulling his phone out again. "I'll just text Asahi to take his time."

Iwaizumi remained in front of the couch, only slightly moving to his left so that Noya didn't block his view. Oikawa was sitting on the couch, or more accurately, sprawled on it, but when Kuroo came to sit on the other end, he had to pull his legs out of the way.

He had seen the movie a few times, remembering quite a lot of it, but despite that and the alcohol in his blood, he jumped a little when there were sudden scares. Like when the dog suddenly got crazy, holy shit, he was never prepared for that!

"Kuro, please turn down the volume a little bit," came Kenma's voice from the doorway of what Oikawa assumed was the bedroom.

"Yeah, hold on. Sorry." Kuroo clicked the remote. "You going to bed? I mean, Yaku and Lev too?"

"Yeah, we are. Good night, everyone."

"Good night."

The apartment became quiet, only the subtle sound of the TV occupying air. Oikawa could feel his lids growing heavy and after he realized he had missed a good twenty minutes of the film, he yanked himself to sit up properly and tried to blink sleep out his eyes. Noya's phone beeped and he got up after checking the message.

"Asahi is here. I'm gonna go then. No need to get up, Kuroo. I'll see myself out. See you in the stable, guys!"

After the door had closed after Noya, the movie went on a commercial break. Kuroo yawned and stretched his arms above his head before turning his attention to Oikawa. "You guys wanna spend the night too? Since Lev and Yaku are here, we're planning to go have a brunch tomorrow morning. There's a great place that serves a western style brunch near by."

"Sure, why not?" It wasn't like Oikawa had anywhere to be tomorrow and navigating back home half asleep didn't sound very appealing. "Although, how early are you planning to go there?"

Kuroo smirked. "I don't think anyone will be up before ten. Except maybe for Hajime. If you want to stay over, bro?" he asked, looking at Iwaizumi. "We have a couple of spare futons.""

"You run a bed and breakfast service or what?" Iwaizumi asked. He looked tired too, and his voice had grown a little sluggish.

"Yup. Except that you only have to pay for the brunch."

Iwaizumi hummed. "Alright, it does sound more appealing than taking a train home."

Kuroo hauled himself up. "I'll go get you futons right away. Unfortunately our guest room is already a bit crowded, but you can sleep here in the living room. We'll just move the couch a bit to make room."

"I can do that. You fetch the futons."

"I'll help you," Oikawa said, getting to his feet. Excitement was bubbling in his stomach, waking him up properly. He'd get to sleep next to Iwaizumi! Yes, it was late and he wasn't as fresh as he would have hoped to be and he didn't have his toothbrush with him or anything but still... _he was going to sleep next to Iwaizumi!_

Once they had pushed the couch away, Oikawa excused himself and went to the bathroom. After relieving himself, he washed his hands and splashed some cold water onto his face, trying to shake the sleepy, drunken feeling. He also snatched a bit of toothpaste which he spread over his teeth with his finger. Not very efficient but better than nothing. After rinsing his mouth, he checked his appearance in the mirror. He didn't look too drunk – if one who was drunk could tell.

Kuroo was already back with their futons, blankets and pillows when Oikawa returned to the living room. Iwaizumi was helping him to make the beds. The futons were quite close to each other due to the cramped space they had been laid in. Oh, the chances that setting offered! Oikawa didn't want to be a creep and grope Iwaizumi without his permission but up that close he could at least smell the trainer and observe him in his sleep. 

_Like that isn't creepy or anything?_

_It's not if you don't get caught!_

When the beds were ready, Kuroo straightened up. "There. Alright then, g'night, guys. Try to keep it down, okay?" He winked at them.

Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes at him, his expression clearly saying, 'What the hell?'

"I meant the TV," Kuroo said before heading to the bedroom. The door closed softly after him. Oikawa was left alone with Iwaizumi.

Since the dark-haired man didn't seem up to talking, Oikawa began peeling off his clothes. There was no way that he would sleep in jeans and his favourite shirt. If Iwaizumi wanted to be modest, he could keep his clothes on, but Oikawa was going to strip down to his boxers. He thought he caught Iwaizumi glancing his way when he got rid of his clothes and folded them on the couch, deliberately lingering there half-naked before slipping under the blanket. He knew he wasn't as ripped as the other man, but he wasn't in bad shape, either. Years of playing volleyball had left him with an athlete build and he tried to maintain it by going to the gym and occasionally swimming. That, and of course he had a naturally excellent bone structure to begin with.

Oikawa let out a content sigh as he relaxed in his bed. It felt a bit hard for his back as the futon was quite thin, but it was still much better than travelling home through the night. His head was spinning a little and his limbs felt heavy, almost like they were sinking through the floor. He wasn't usually one to get a horrible hangover so he hoped that wouldn't be the case in the morning, but it had been a while since he had drunk so much.

Iwaizumi began unzipping his jeans, his back turned to Oikawa, making it really easy to just stare at the exposing thighs and calves. And boy, were they a sight to see or what! All lean muscle and tanned skin even when they were only nearing the summer. Iwaizumi was wearing boxer briefs that made a fine job outlining his ass, and as he pulled his shirt over his head, Oikawa could see cute dimples in his lower back.

He could also see a scar, a vertical one over the trainer's spine. It wasn't very long, but it was clearly visible, starting from below the waist of his underwear and continuing until the height of his navel. Oikawa's attention lingered there for a moment, making him wonder how long Iwaizumi had been on sick leave for and how much physiotherapy he had needed to have. Then his eyes jumped above the scar, taking in the flexing of his upper back muscles as he got rid off the shirt and dropped it on the floor, clearly not caring where it landed.

That was when he turned to look over his shoulder and caught Oikawa staring shamelessly, but really, he was too tired and too drunk to care. Besides, he had kissed Iwaizumi in the kitchen so his intentions should have been clear already.

"I'm going to turn off the lights," Iwaizumi said.

"Yeah, go ahead." Oikawa continued to watch as Iwaizumi walked to the light switch, just waiting for him to turn around so he could appreciate his front too. The room didn't become completely dark, thanks to the TV still flickering in the background.

A small sound escaped Oikawa's throat as Iwaizumi turned on his heels. He quickly covered it under couching, which sounded as fake as ever, but he continued for a good measure.

"Stop coughing towards my pillow," Iwaizumi said. "I don't want your germs."

"You've caught a lot of them already," Oikawa couldn't resist remarking.

"Still, it's rude to cough over other people's stuff."

Yeah, it was, but it didn't sound Iwaizumi was actually grossed out by it. He walked up to his bed, Oikawa's eyes still gliding over his frame. Damn, the guy had shoulders and biceps to die for, no wonder he could lift a heavy saddle so easily. His pecs and abs were prominent but not too trimmed, indicating that he wasn't a complete gym rat but that he took care of himself. Oikawa actually preferred that to a Greek god. He was even okay with a small belly. Exercise was good and all but people needed to have life outside of it too.

He was trying to keep his eyes from falling over Iwaizumi's crotch but of course it didn't work. After taking in the man's torso, his gaze slipped down and... oh boy, there was another detail of Iwaizumi that differed him from the Greek gods. Oikawa's mouth went dry first and then began rapidly producing excessive amounts of saliva. It was a weird feeling.

Some men were born lucky. Some men were born very lucky.

Of course, it could be that Iwaizumi was only a shower. Even so, he had nothing to be ashamed of in changing rooms.

The trainer noticed what he was staring at (again), but didn't react to it, merely walking up to his bed and slipping under the cover. He let the air escape his lungs, tucking his hand underneath the pillow to lift it a little. 

"You still want to watch that?" he asked, nodding towards the TV.

"No need. I've seen it before," Oikawa answered. He also had it on DVD.

Iwaizumi found the remote and turned the TV off. Silence landed in the room, only broken by a clock's ticking on the wall, occasional traffic noise from outside and shuffling of the sheets as they shifted positions. Oikawa listened to the trainer breathe, and he could hear from its rhythm that Iwaizumi wasn't asleep yet. He might even have his eyes open. Oikawa's own eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness yet so he couldn't say for sure. He wondered if he should just go to sleep – he was sleepy – but who knew when there would be another opportunity to lie so close to Iwaizumi? He could just try to probe for his chances a little bit, maybe inch closer to the other man or sneak his hand under Iwaizumi's cover.

In the end, it was the thought of regretting it in the morning if he didn't try anything that tilted the scale. Oikawa rolled onto his side, facing Iwaizumi. He didn't have to wait for long for the man to turn his head towards him. He couldn't make out Iwaizumi's expression but he could tell that the trainer was watching him too. There was a shift in his breathing, as it became slightly quicker and more superficial.

Oikawa wasn't sure who moved first, but in the blink of an eye they were smashing their lips together. Or, more accurately, Iwaizumi hit the corner of his mouth and Oikawa the tip of Iwaizumi's nose, but they quickly corrected their position, finding each others' lips and pressing forward. Oikawa heard a small, needy whine rising from his throat when Iwaizumi urged his lips apart and practically thrust his tongue inside, making a wave of heat surge through his veins. His hand fumbled around with the sheets, finding the edge of Iwaizumi's blanket and slipping in the warmth created by the other man's body. His fingertips hit Iwaizumi's forearm and began climbing up, over his bicep, stroking it and appreciating the hard muscles beneath warm skin. His tongue met up with the foreign one, tasting beer and need, and even the way it moved reminded him of Iwaizumi's straight posture, agile steps and mostly his stern expressions and commands when he was shouting at Noya in the riding arena, and god... how could Iwaizumi be so intense when he was supposed to be drunk?

Oikawa got yet another sign of how intensive Iwaizumi could be when the man suddenly shoved the blankets aside, grabbed him by the arm and pushed Oikawa onto his back, pinning him down with his own body, and all the while keeping their mouths attached, his tongue stroking the cavern of Oikawa's mouth, making him whine some more and maybe drool a little bit too. He could feel the first stir in his groin, and frankly, it was only this late because he had downed a generous amount of wine. He was maybe nearing thirty but it hadn't affected his potency yet.

Okay, maybe the little guy didn't get up as fast as it had when he had been in his teens, but he didn't really have problems in that area. And it seemed that Iwaizumi didn't have, either.

Holy shit! Oikawa swallowed, the sound audible in the dark of the room and the reflex forcing him to back away from the kiss for a second.

So Iwaizumi was not only a shower but a _grower_ too.

He felt the trainer's hardness against his thigh and even though he was intoxicated –even though it was only his thigh and not his hands – he could say that if Iwaizumi liked to top, there would have to be _a lot_ of stretching happening before the act itself. He rolled his hips, grinding his own erection against Iwaizumi's hip and the other man answered, pushing against him and making him even more aware of his size.

"Why aren't you a porn star?" Oikawa blurted out before he could stop himself.

Iwaizumi pulled his head back, blinking down at him. Oikawa could already make out his features in the dim light coming from the street. He looked taken aback. It was kind of cute. "Uh, because I don't want to?"

_I would buy your every movie. Like, actually buy them and not download them online for free._

Their brief exchange of words seemed to have snapped Iwaizumi out of his haze of arousal as he huffed, suppressing a shiver, rose off of Oikawa and slumped back onto his own futon. "We're not doing this here."

_Why? We could! We totally could. It's not like our hosts would disapprove. Kuroo practically knows something is happening. I can be quiet!_

But on the other hand, Oikawa understood. They were drunk and it was very late and the whole thing might end up being... unsatisfying. That didn't mean that he was satisfied right now, quite the opposite.

"We don't have to do anything big," he tried. "We could, just, you know, make out some more?"

"No, I'm going to sleep now. Good night, Trashkawa." Iwaizumi rolled around, turning his back to Oikawa and ignoring his disapproving noises. And that was what Oikawa had to settle for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think Oikawa just cockblocked himself with his badly-timed remark. Ba-dum tss!
> 
> I may have a borrowed a line from Coupling. :D  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVTvmvhKdkY (from 9:00 onwards)


	10. The Day After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mostly a transition chapter so it's a bit jumpy. This is what happens when you take a 2-month break. Kids, don't do like I do; do as Stephen King says and always finish the first draft of your story in three months.

Oikawa woke up to an annoying, heavy stomping and chattering that was way too loud to listen to in the morning when you had a hangover. 

_Ugh, now I remember why I usually go home after drinking._ The days when there had been some glamour in passing out with your drinking buddies and waking up hungover together the next morning were clearly in the past. He was way too old to not sprawl on the couch in front of the TV with a cup of tea and spend the quiet hours of the morning by hydrating and nourishing his body back to health.

He lay there in his slumber, half registering the conversation that was going on somewhere in the apartment.

"Kenma, don't you have anything greasy to eat?" 

"No, we don't. Just wait until we get to the brunch."

"But I'm _starving._ "

"Here, have some crackers."

"They don't help at all. I want to go now."

"It's too early. You just have to hang in there. Besides, Oikawa is still sleeping."

"Let's wake him up. Or just leave him here and go by ourselves."

"It's too early. Brunch doesn't start until ten."

"It's almost ten! I'm sure they'd open the door for us if we went there now." 

"You're like a 2-metre-tall baby when you're hungover."

"He's always like that when he's hungry."

Resisting the urge to pull the blanket over his head, Oikawa forced his brain to start functioning and pull him fully out of the sleep world. He faintly recognized a gnawing feeling in his stomach, urging him to get up and get something in his system before the nausea could kick in. Groaning, he peeled his eyes open and rolled onto his back. The room was already bathing in the overly bright morning sun that was filtering through the thin curtains (which were really just wrinkled sheets). The chattering continued, coming from somewhere on his left, so he assumed that the others were in the kitchen. The futon beside him was empty, indicating that Iwaizumi was also already up and about.

What was wrong with these people? Why were they up this early? Didn't the alcohol affect them at all?

As his senses woke up, he smelled the first waft of coffee, dark, bitter and inviting. He didn't usually drink black coffee but it worked wonders on a hangover. The thought of getting some caffeine into his system urged him to sit up, the blanket pooling into his lap as he yawned and rubbed his eyes. His mouth tasted like a bird's nest, stuffy and dry, he had a piercing, pounding headache, the result from drinking too much wine, and he needed to pee like, instantly. Thankfully there didn't seem to be any urgent threat of throwing up, but he might get there too, if he didn't give his stomach something else to think about.

He found his shirt, pulling it over his head, and scrambled to his feet, leaving his jeans for now, as he headed to the bathroom.

A cheerful shout way too loud for Oikawa's liking rang from the kitchen. "Hey, I think Oikawa woke up!" He quickly locked himself in the bathroom before the guy – who sounded like Lev – could come and try to talk to him. Oikawa was a morning person, but not when his bladder was about to explode and he was sure that his breath smelled like a hobo's favourite bottle.

He had to wrestle with a very persistent morning wood before he actually trusted he'd hit the toilet bowl instead of the seat or the lid (he had a hunch that Kuroo wouldn't mind too much if he found some droplets on the seat, but he wasn't that sure about Kenma ¬– besides, he himself found it gross). Stupid male anatomy. After finishing his business without any extra mess, he ended up snatching a bit more toothpaste from his hosts, scrubbing his teeth and tongue vigorously with his finger and gargling some mouthwash he also found in the cupboard. He didn't completely trust his senses but he sniffed his armpits and mostly caught a faint smell of deodorant. He really wanted to take a shower but maybe he should show his face in the kitchen first.

He went back to the living room to pull on his jeans before heading towards the sounds and found everyone sitting around the table, sipping coffee or munching crackers.

"Good morning, Oikawa-san!" Lev chirped brightly, followed by more subtle greetings from the other guys.

"Morning," Oikawa said as he took a seat beside Iwaizumi. The man looked like he had been up for two hours already, gone for a run, showered, eaten a healthy breakfast and now he was just sipping more coffee to keep his hosts company. He glanced at Oikawa but didn't say anything, his expression completely neutral. The others looked a bit tired, Lev too, even though his eyes were wide open and he was consuming the crackers at an alarming speed.

"You want some coffee?" Kuroo asked, already getting up and getting the coffee pan and a clean mug. 

"Yes, thank you!"

Kuroo was only wearing boxers and Oikawa could appreciate his slim, slightly muscular form and the way his underwear hung low on his hips. Oh yeah, if he hadn't already had his eyes on Iwaizumi, he would have totally gone for Kuroo. He found it a bit odd that the black-haired guy was together with someone like Kenma who was short, quiet and all in all quite pedestrian, but then again, opposites did attract each other.

Oikawa thought he caught Iwaizumi glancing at him disapprovingly, as the trainer noticed the way he eyed Kuroo, but hey, Iwaizumi could have been only in his underwear too! Oikawa would have ogled at him like the treat he was.

"How are you feeling?" Yaku asked. 

"Been better," Oikawa huffed. "Been worse too. I'll be fine once I get a cup of coffee and something to eat."

"You have to wait for that eating part, because apparently we can't go to brunch yet," Lev said, his voice bitter.

"We can go in fifteen minutes or so," Kuroo said, placing a cup in front of Oikawa. "Sorry, it seems that we're out of milk."

"That's fine. I usually prefer my coffee black on hangover mornings." Oikawa took a sip of his coffee, appreciating the dark, bitter taste and the way the way his system seemed to instantly absorb caffeine.

"Did you guys sleep well?" Kuroo asked, a sneaky undertone lurking in his voice. Oikawa decided to ignore it.

"Yeah, I did," he said, despite remembering that he had been lying awake for a good while after Iwaizumi had turned his back on him.

Iwaizumi hummed in affirmation before nodding towards Oikawa. "Trashkawa here sleeps with his eyes open."

Oikawa almost dropped his coffee. " _Whaaaat?!_ No, I don't!"

"Yeah, you do. Only the whites of your eyes were showing and your lids were fluttering and I thought you were awake but you didn't answer me when I talked to you. It was quite creepy, to be honest. Like one of those possessed girls in horror movies. I'm going to call you Creepykawa from now on."

"You're the creepy one, staring at me in my sleep!"

"I told you, I wasn't staring at you. I thought you were awake."

Oikawa wasn't sure if he liked Kuroo's knowing smirk. Then again, if Kuroo thought he had hope, that was good, right? Kuroo knew Iwaizumi better than Oikawa did.

But did Kuroo know how mysteriously Iwaizumi acted? Or how contradictory his signals were? Oikawa wasn't sure if Iwaizumi was holding back, because he wasn't sure of what he wanted or because he thought that way he would make Oikawa follow, like the rubber band effect. Either way, Oikawa didn't find it very productive. They were nearing their thirties, for God's sake; he'd gladly leave the games out of the picture and just... get on with the sex. And maybe other stuff too.

"Need any painkillers?" Kuroo asked him, changing the subject.

"Yes, please." Coffee probably wouldn't be enough to subside the pounding inside his skull. Kuroo went to the cupboard and tossed him a package of ibuprofen, allowing him to choose the needed amount of pills himself. Oikawa gulped down the meds with some coffee, but he'd need to eat something soon, otherwise he'd get an annoying heartburn. 

When the clock hit ten, their hosts announced that they could start pulling their clothes on and head for the brunch. At that point, Lev had already sprawled his upper body on the table and looked like he was slowly perishing, but he pulled himself up with lightning speed and leaped towards the entrance. Oikawa remembered he had wanted to take a shower but now he'd have to wait until he got home. Lev would probably start bawling like a hungry baby if he announced that he needed to shower first. Besides, his stomach was beginning to make weird sounds and he felt a hot bubbling that indicated that it didn't approve of him pouring in only dark coffee with painkillers.

The restaurant was just a five-minute walk away, a small and casual looking place with ascetic interior. There were already quite a few customers lining up for the brunch buffet. They occupied a table beside the windows, leaving their coats on the chairs and heading to join the queue. The smell was divine, as was the sight, with long lines of different kinds of bread, cheese, sausages, eggs, sweet pastries, fruits and vegetables. Oikawa felt his mouth watering instantly when he laid his eyes on the selection. Lev was rocking back and forth, impatient to get to the food, but naturally there were some elders in front of them, taking their time to select and place food on their plates.

Oikawa thought he should go with the healthier choices, but his body was craving salt and fat, so he ended up loading his plate with toast, eggs and bacon. He could get to the vegetable part later. He also poured himself three glasses of orange juice and another cup of coffee. As they got back to their table, everyone concentrated on eating for a good ten minutes, gobbling food like it was their last chance, even Kenma who Oikawa didn't immediately take as 'the eating type', whatever that meant (someone like Bokuto).

"You guys going to the stable today?" Kuroo asked once he had emptied his plate and was taking a small break before the second round, leaning his arms on the table and sipping his coffee with a content smile.

"I'm going in the afternoon," Iwaizumi said. "Need to free jump Sorbet today."

Oikawa turned to look at him. "You think Shrimpy-chan's coming too?" He didn't want to miss the guy's trial with Diva.

Iwaizumi glanced at him sideways. "If you are referring to Hinata, then yes, I think he's coming. He's there almost every day."

"Should I come too? I mean, if he's going to try to ride Diva."

Iwaizumi shrugged. "If you want to."

_Gyaah, why are you being so nonchalant?_

Looking at Iwaizumi's behaviour, there was not a single hint of their kissing last night. Not a single one. If anything, Oikawa felt like the trainer was ignoring him more than usual. Unbearable!

He wondered what the man would do if he just grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him right then and there.

"I want to see how it goes," he just said, concentrating on his plate again. Iwaizumi hummed but said nothing to that. Kuroo exchanged glances with Kenma – or tried, but Kenma's attention was in his meal, so instead he tried to send a meaningful look to Yaku, with not much success. Lev just kept shovelling food into his mouth, oblivious to everything that was happening around him. And that was pretty much how brunch went.

* *

Oikawa had been home for only three hours, idling and reliving the events of last night, when he received a text from Iwaizumi.

_'Creepykawa, drag your lazy ass here right now. Hinata's going to ride Diva.'_

Already? But it was only two in the afternoon. Wasn't Shrimpy hungover too? Nonetheless, Oikawa quickly typed his reply. _'Omg, I'll jump in my car right away. Thank you for letting me know! PS. I'm not creepy and my ass is not lazy.'_ He almost added that his ass was actually very hard-working but that didn't sound quite right.

_'No need to thank me. Hinata insisted that you be here.'_

Oikawa scowled at the phone. _Why do you have to say that? Why can't you admit that you want to see me too?_

Painkillers had taken away the headache, but he armed himself with a bottle of water and the darkest pair of sunglasses he owned anyway. The weather was getting warmer by the day and since the morning had been almost hot, he left his jacket home, dressed only in a plain t-shirt and cargo shorts; after all, he had noticed that nobody really paid attention to their outfit at the stable. What they did pay a weird amount of attention to was their hair, at least Noya and Bokuto, considering helmets ruined their carefully styled locks.

Just when he was stepping out of the door, Oikawa remembered that he hadn't showered and he was still simmering in his hangover juices. Even though nobody would probably smell it over the horse odours, he briefly considered popping in the bathroom for the fastest shower in the country, but Iwaizumi's text had given out the impression that Shrimpy-chan was about to mount Diva any minute now. Huffing, he closed the door and hurried to the stairs.

When he arrived at Fukurodani, Hinata was already walking Diva towards the arena and Iwaizumi was following them with a crop in his hand. Oikawa's attention was immediately drawn to the shorts the trainer was wearing, mostly because they were almost similar to his own, but also because they looked like Iwaizumi had bought them a decade ago. They weren't really shabby but looked like their owner had grown past the point where he had filled them nicely. Weren't they uncomfortable? 

Hinata stopped to wave at him. "Oikawa-san! You came!"

"Wouldn't have missed it," Oikawa said, approaching the trio with a smile. On a reflex, he peeled the sunglasses off and was instantly hit with pure laser rays from the sun. Damn, he wasn't really in the condition of standing outside in the daylight – he'd rather spend his hungover days watching some old scifi series, all blinds in the windows closed – but not much he could do about it now. What he had learned about equestrians was that they were at the stable every day, no matter the weather or their condition.

As he got closer, he noticed that not only were Iwaizumi's shorts tight as hell, they were also riding up his ass crack. It wasn't normal to wear something so tight even if you were an equestrian. Like, they must be squeezing his man parts, and Oikawa was happy he hadn't faced Iwaizumi from the front because his eyes would have betrayed him again. He was having a hard time keeping his gaze up as it was.

But shit, he just had to comment on those pants.

"Um..." he began, making Iwaizumi glance at him. "It seems that we're wearing quite similar outfits today." _Smooth, Tooru, real smooth._ "The only difference is that yours is two sizes too small."

Okay, that did it. He was going to cut his tongue out when he got home. But it wasn't his fault, he was a personal dresser. He noticed these things!

Iwaizumi looked at him like he was an alien who had just stepped out a spaceship and began insulting Earthlings. You know, like Paul.

Damn, that had been a good movie. He should watch it again soon.

"I applaud your observation skills, but the shorts are not mine. They're Akaashi's."

"Oh." _Why are you wearing Akaashi's pants?_ Oikawa crushed any jealous thoughts that tried to invade his mind. Akaashi was in a relationship with Bokuto. No reason to jump to conclusions.

"Tsar tore Iwaizumi-san's pants," Hinata explained.

Oikawa gaped. "How did that happen?" Thank god it hadn't been Diva!

"He's just one asshole of a horse," Iwaizumi said.

"Iwaizumi was picking his hooves when he bit him in the ass and ripped his pants with his teeth."

Oikawa was a bit shaken. Oh Jesus! He had always known horses were dangerous, but in Fukurodani everything seemed always so... safe and organized.

One of Iwaizumi's brows was twitching. "Thank you, Hinata. You may walk Diva to the arena now." 

"Yeah, sure!"

"Did it hurt?" Oikawa asked. "Did he break your skin?" _Are there bruises in that perfect ass of yours? You should make Noya pay for the damage._

"A little bit. It's normal though. Things like this happen with horses."

Well, yeah, probably, but why would anyone voluntarily..? 

"It's what I signed up for when I decided to become a horse trainer instead of acting in adult movies."

Oikawa almost choked on his spit.

"Anyway, let's get to it," Iwaizumi continued like he hadn't said anything weird. "I have other horses to take care of today."

Hinata walked Diva to the centre of the arena and began preparing her for mounting; pulling the stirrups down, tightening the girth. Diva looked like she was hungover too, her eyes half-closed, ears lopping to the sides and head hanging low. She only tossed it once when Hinata pulled at the girth.

"She looks quite calm," Oikawa noted as he took his place behind the fence, leaning his arms against the top board.

Iwaizumi was walking towards a couple of fences that had been set onto the right side of the arena. "It's the weather. She should brighten up soon enough. Hinata, didn't you get a whip?"

Hinata glanced down at himself. "Crap, I forgot."

"Here, take this." Iwaizumi handed the crop over. "Not for the speed but for the discipline. And in case she decides to rear again."

"I thought she stopped doing that," Oikawa pointed out.

"Mostly, yes, but she might not like her new rider. The martingale helps, but I've seen horses rear with it too."

Hinata adjusted his foot to the stirrup and pulled himself up. Diva woke up from her slumber, lifting her head and turning her ears back.

"Good girl, it's only me," Hinata said, patting at her neck. "You know me, right?"

Iwaizumi went to sit down on one of the fences. Right away he winced and got back up, pulling at the shorts. The discomfort was obviously from the pants and not the injury he had received. Who knew Akaashi had such a tiny ass?

"Maybe you should have borrowed pants from Bokuto!" Oikawa called out, snickering a little.

Iwaizumi threw him a disapproving look. "That option wasn't available. There are only a few people here today and for once Bo hadn't forgotten any extra pants at Akaashi's."

Oikawa yielded, wiping the smile off his face. "Alright, sorry."

Iwaizumi turned his attention to the horse and her rider. "So, Hinata, right track, reins long for now. Be very light with her. Make stops in the short rails but try to use only your seating. Resist until she slows down."

So they began in the same way like when Noya had been riding Diva. Oikawa was already getting a hang of the terms Iwaizumi used. A few more weeks and he's be speaking equestrian fluently. He had already impressed Hiyori by describing how Noya had ridden Diva and using correct terminology.

For now, Diva seemed calm, walking leisurely, her neck long and rising dust clouds with the way she dragged her hooves. She didn't seem up for any sort of exercise. She gladly obeyed when Hinata asked her to stop, pulling the reins so she could sniff at the ground. Hinata had to urge her several times to get her moving again.

"Did you slip sedatives into her oats?" Oikawa asked. This was the calmest he'd ever seen his horse. Maybe Shrimpy was _too_ light and Diva had decided she didn't have to listen to the tiny fly buzzing on her back.

Iwaizumi decided to ignore his remark, concentrating on Hinata and Diva. "Be light but make your presence known. Don't let her slack off. Use the crop if you have to."

At the next stop, Hinata straightened his back and pulled the reins a little, then kicked his chubby steed into moving again. This time Diva lifted her head and turned her ears back again, like she had suddenly remembered there was someone in her saddle. Hinata collected the reins and with Iwaizumi's advice, began bending her in the corners.

Iwaizumi was walking in small circles in the middle of the arena, like he tended to do while instructing a rider, every now and then pulling at his shorts. "She's a trotter, she doesn't bend like your average warmblood, but keep trying. You can also make circles in every other corner. Yeah, like that. Just yield more with the inner rein."

Oikawa had never seen Shrimpy ride before. He didn't seem that different to Noya or anyone else he'd seen ride, except maybe Bokuto who rode like he lived, loud and straightforward. He made a mental note to come and watch Kuroo ride some day, since that was a sight he had yet to see.

Oikawa wondered what kind of a rider he'd be. Elegant, stylish? Someone people would look at and say that his riding looked so effortless it was almost like he and the horse had a telepathic connection? Of course he wouldn't be like that immediately. But was riding really that hard? Maybe some people had a natural skill for it and they picked it up right away...

"Off to the trot then," Iwaizumi told Hinata. "Continue making circles."

Hinata urged Diva to speed up and she did, but she was still moving sluggishly. After two rounds Hinata apparently got tired of her idling and slapped her on the bum with the crop. That made her wake up and start trotting with more heart. She also tried to lift her head up high, but once they got to the next corner, Hinata pulled her muzzle down and towards her inner leg, bending her to a large circle. For a moment, it looked to Oikawa that she was getting in the mood, her form becoming more collected with her steps higher and her neck arching. She almost looked like a normal riding horse and not an overeating travesty of a trotter. 

"Wow, Shrimpy's quite good," Oikawa muttered, not actually intending it to be audible to anyone, but Iwaizumi still glanced over his shoulder.

After the warm-up Iwaizumi told Hinata to ride over the poles in the ground. "She'll probably try to speed up. Keep the pace you have now."

Hinata turned Diva towards the middle, guiding her to the poles. Her ears perked up and she seemed a bit more eager, trying to quicken her pace and making Hinata hold her back. They made it over the poles effortlessly. Iwaizumi didn't have anything to say to it which meant that Hinata had probably done it right.

"Again!"

Iwaizumi made them trot over the poles two more times before telling Hinata to change directions and then do the same thing over again. The day was getting even hotter and there wasn't a whiff of wind. Both the horse and her rider had broken out in a sweat already. Oikawa was getting pearls on his forehead and underneath his shirt just standing there. He opened the water bottle and took several long gulps. Didn't Fukurodani also have a place for riding inside? Iwaizumi was such a slave driver, making poor Shrimpy toil outside in the direct sunshine. Hopefully they'd get to the jumping part soon.

But... so far so good. Hinata seemed to be doing fine. Diva hadn't shown any of her antics yet.

"Once you reach that end take up a canter, make a large circle and then jump the cross rail. Don't approach it until you have her cantering." 

Hinata rode to a circle, Diva still trotting obediently but when he tried to stride off to into canter, she just sped up her trotting, tossing her head up and totally breaking the little harmony they had had going on. 

"Slow down! Sit deep in the saddle! Don't just pull the reins!"

Diva began cantering eventually but it took Hinata five or more circles to get her to actually listen to him. Once she saw where they were heading, her cantering turned into a gallop, and since it was too late for Hinata to slow her down or turn her away from the fence, the only thing he could do was try to accommodate the horse's movements. Diva leaped over the small fence, whishing her tail like a victory flag and even kicked her hind legs in the air.

"Okay, she seems to think we're jumping 2-metre fences in the Olympics. Again. A lot of half-halts along the way. Don't let her run away from underneath you. She's been trained to take off after a circle, you know," Iwaizumi said, pacing aimlessly in the middle of the arena. "And it's okay if she speeds up towards fences but you have to maintain control. It's too late to ask her to listen to you in the middle of a jump."

Hinata was listening to the trainer's advice but Diva wasn't. There wasn't a trace left of her earlier lazy appearance. She was speeding like in a race, foam splashing from her mouth and her nostrils flaring red. Hinata got her to another circle and she was galloping so fast that she almost fell over with her steep angle.

"What are you doing?!" Iwaizumi shouted, alarmed, now marching towards his trainees. "Slow the hell down! Don't let her... aargh, fuck these shorts!" He stopped to yank at the pants and for a moment it looked like he'd have to return the item to Akaashi in pieces. "Back to walk! Back to walk! Calm your hands!"

Oikawa could see Shrimpy gritting his teeth and he even blurted out some curses while trying to get the crazy animal to slow down. In the end he did something Oikawa would never have dared to even think about; he turned the horse towards the surrounding fence of the arena. For a second Oikawa thought that Diva was going to jump but luckily there was still some sense left in her. Her hooves left deep trails in the sand as she braked and halted just before the boards hit her in the breast.

"Ugh, sorry," Hinata mumbled, straightening his helmet. "She just went all crazy on me."

"Yes, I saw that," Iwaizumi said, ruffling his hair in frustration. "I'm tempted to let Bo ride her again."

"I'm not giving up!" Hinata added hastily. "I think we need to start with dressage first, though. You know, find a connection."

"Hmm-m, yeah. We could do that. Enough for today, though. I'm going to ask if Bo wants to ride her later. I think she needs to be put back in her place."

As they walked past Oikawa, he could see that Diva was panting, coated in sweat and dragging her legs again. Hinata wasn't in much better condition. He was wiping his forehead, stretching his hands and flexing his fingers. He threw Oikawa an apologetic look. 

"Sorry, that didn't go as planned."

Oikawa shook his head. "No need to apologize. She probably gets off on giving people a hard time."

Shrimpy managed to crack a smile. He leaned down to pat Diva on the neck despite probably wanting to beat the shit out her. 

"You know, Hinata," Iwaizumi called out. "Next time you're going bareback."

Oikawa snorted involuntarily.

Iwaizumi turned his eyes on him, unimpressed. "It means without the saddle."

Oikawa bit the inside of his cheek. "Yep, I figured."

Hinata wasn't laughing. He looked a bit shocked by the news, but nodded then. "You want me to jump bareback too?"

"We'll see how it goes. First we'll do some dressage and take it off from there."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa is like Chandler from Friends. "Somebody comment on those pants!" Poor Iwaizumi, what am I doing to you?
> 
>  **November 2017 - Note to my readers**   
>  I'm currently working on an original novel (vampires, very gay) which will be released sometime during the first half of 2018, with both eBook and printed version available. If you're interested in reading my original stuff, please follow my Twitter author account @sakeranen for further news. I mostly tweet in Finnish, but the news regarding the release of the novel will be in English too.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to peterpandemic for helping me out with the first chapter!


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